An Adventure to Call My Own
by HailToTheSnail
Summary: Now I know what you're thinking! Oh no! That poor boy! We've got to save him! No. Just no... I'm perfectly content with being dragged to Fiore for the sake of entertaining a god. Thank you very much.
1. Chapter 1 - Lullaby Arc

**Author Notes:**

Hey all,

This is Snail_Emperor and I'm bringing you my first fanfiction ever! Let's see how well this goes... it probably won't go well, but I'd like to think it will. Anyways I won't be having any set updates, but I'll try to update at least once a month or so. You know how it is with school and stuff. Anyways enjoy my story!

Update: For those of you that don't know what a R.O.B is, *cough* Tremaine *cough*, they are random omnipotent beings.

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 1 - Lullaby Arc**

 **[** _Haven't you ever felt as if life was boring?_ **]**

Those were the last words I remembered before I was whisked away.

 **[** _What if told you there was a world full of adventure!_ **]**

Actually, those were the last words I remembered.

 **[** _Would you change your mind then?_ **]**

I sighed… damn these fragmented memories.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the vast blue sky before me.

Where did everything go wrong? … Oh right, R.O.B.

I sat up and looked around, taking in the scenery before me.

A nice, clear meadow, bordered by a seemingly endless expanse of beautiful trees.

"Where am I?" I wondered aloud. I sure as hell wasn't at my university dorm.

Something buzzed in my pocket and to my surprise, I pulled out my phone. There was a text message.

 **[** _You're in Fiore! How's that for adventurous?_ **]**

I looked down at the phone in my hand and looked back up. I snorted. Like hell I was in the Fairy Tail universe.

I mean, sure the trees looked somewhat magical and the sky, maybe a little less polluted, but nothing to warrant me to believe anything the R.O.B. said—

 _ROAR!_

"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed, jumping back. The sheer volume of noise produced causing my ears to ring.

Before I could so much as wonder what sort of ungodly animal produced such volume, my vision was drawn to a large, green overgrown lizard flying above the little clearing that I sat in. I realized soon after that that was a Green Wyvern…

—And I found the explanation the R.O.B. gave me that much more believable.

I was in Fairy Tail… as hard as that was to believe.

Of course like any other sane person, I was trying not to panic… and just like any other sane person, I was failing miserably. I mean, what was to be expected? This definitely topped the list of most dangerous things to happen to me.

The first thing that went through my head, after I calmed down was a little ditty. It went something like this, ' _I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!_ ' in G major.

… Okay, maybe I hadn't calmed down yet. It was a work in progress.

After having _actually_ calmed down, I started to consider the facts.

 **Fact one:** I was in Fairy Tail Universe if the R.O.B.'s words and the Green Wyvern were anything to go off of.

 **Fact two:** I was stranded in a potentially dangerous forest of unknown origin with nothing but what was on me at the moment. Hopefully, I was in Fiore.

 **Fact three:** I needed to find the Fairy Tail guild. It was probably the safest bet.

I knew that being with Fairy Tail meant no end of trouble. But at least with them, I'd have knowledge of what would happen and what wouldn't. Plus I'd have some of the strongest wizards watching my back.

Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

Having nothing else to think about, I checked my belongings, which is to say what was on my person: an everyday blue T-shirt with a rather tight fit, a white stone necklace; given to me by my late father, as well as blue jeans, and a pair of red mid-cuts. I also had my phone that the R.O.B. let me keep. Although… it was kind of worthless.

My phone pinged and a text popped up. **[** _Don't worry, I thought about that! Check out the upgrades I made! :D_ **]**

With a single glance at the display on my phone, I could see what 'upgrades' the R.O.B. was speaking of. Where the service was featured, five full bars were present along with the provider, R.O.B. Inc.

I twitched at the provider. "Thanks, I guess," I said gratefully.

Another text popped up. **[** _Don't mention it! After all, I'm just going to be sitting back and enjoying the hell you're going to be put through! ;)_ **]**

That was not reassuring in the least.

A final text popped up. **[** _And with that I'll take my leave! :P_ **]**

"Wait! I have so many questions!" I exclaimed. I started to text furiously in reply to R.O.B.'s messages, in an attempt to get his divine attention once more. It didn't work.

After various texts sent, I gave up. "Stupid omnipotent beings," I grumbled, glancing at the dense foliage surrounding me. "Might as well I guess…"

With no other options, I sighed and forged on into the depths of the oppressive forest.

I didn't get out of there anytime soon. Maybe a few days? A week? A couple hours? I lost count some time ago. It was a terrible experience overall.

* * *

Normally I wasn't the one to complain about my aching limbs. Normally I wasn't the one to complain about being lost. Normally I wasn't the one walking for hours in the middle of a godforsaken forest with no food and water!

Needless to say, I was very agitated.

After pushing my way through the untamed vegetation, as well as presenting my colorful vocabulary to any _small_ wildlife that crossed my path, I still hadn't found my way out of the forest. In fact, I was quite sure that I was even more lost than before.

I grumbled to myself and pushed onwards.

Although the walking was tiring, it gave me plenty of time to think. Such as, what course of action I would take once I got out of here?

I already had my goals set on getting to the Fairy Tail guild and joining them, but I still had no clue where I was, or better yet _when_ I was. I really needed to find out how far in the story we were, otherwise I might miss them completely.

Another thought struck me. What if this was during the seven-year time skip? Or even worse, during a time Fairy Tail didn't exist? I mean the R.O.B. never specified that I would be dropped into the Fairy Tail timeline, he just said Fiore.

Panic began to well up, though I quickly stopped myself knowing that it would do me no good. I'd already panicked enough for the feeling to last me a while.

Throwing that notion out the door, I just outright refused to believe that distinct possibility, I started to put together what I would say when I made my way to Fairy Tail. After all, I couldn't just say I was from another world and was brought here by the R.O.B., could I? I decided that I could probably get away with half-truths.

While I was contemplating what to say, I was still moaning and groaning from the walking, something caught my attention. A sound. A shrill hiss, sort of like a whistle. Scratch that, it probably was a whistle.

I realized soon after, that that meant civilization and where there was civilization, there was food. In a moment of pure joy, I pushed my aching body forwards with renewed vigor; though I swear the forest was doing everything possible to keep me from getting out of there.

I made a final push through the foliage and tumbled out on the other side. Expecting to see some sign of human life, I was severely disappointed when all I saw was a pair of railroad tracks standing parallel to one another.

Where'd the whistle come-

 _TOOT! TOOT!_

"Gah!" I fell backward and landed on my butt.

The reason for that was a train shooting past me, nearly two feet in front of my face.

After I had gotten over my initial shock, I saw that the train was roaring by me quite quickly and that it was soon going to leave me in the dust… back in the wilderness…

"Wait!" I yelled, running alongside the train. "Don't leave me here!"

Although my attempt to catch the train was a futile endeavor, I continued to chase it against my better judgment. There was no way I was going back into that fucking forest!

To my utter surprise, the train stopped and I was able to catch up. I leaned against the side of the rear car, panting. "Huh, I didn't actually think that it would stop for me," I said in between breaths. God, that was hard on my lungs.

Before I could fully control my breathing again, I was startled for the fifth time today… or was that sixth? I really just needed a break.

An explosion emanated from the train car a few over from where I stood and a few wisps of shadow emerged from the top of the said car. My eyes widened.

Even though I knew that the concept of magic would be present in this world, I was still in awe of a supernatural phenomenon happening right in front of my eyes. It was beautiful, to say the least, and I didn't think that any of Hiro's visual depictions of magic did it any sort of justice.

I watched as the shadows started to take shape, morphing diligently into the heads of a few dozen snakes. My eyes widened further. Those were Kageyama's shadows.

I felt a weight leave my chest, as a lot of my previous worries evaporated. The reason for that being, I now knew where and when I was. I was at the beginning. Back when Fairy Tail had to deal with its first challenge, the Eisenwald guild, and Zeref's one and only Lullaby.

I grinned and marched over to where Kageyama was no doubt brawling with everyone's favorite pink-haired goofball, Natsu. I was also completely aware of the fact that what I was doing was suicidal.

As I approached, I could hear the fight intensifying, which I had no doubt was in the part of Natsu finally getting over his motion sickness, and when I got close enough to the car where the fight was taking place, another explosion ripped apart the side of the train a few feet away from me. I'm not ashamed to admit that I shrieked like a little bitch.

A few seconds later, everything grew deathly quiet and I risked a peek through the hole ripped open on the side of the train car not a moment ago.

I blinked, then blinked again. "No way," I said in complete disbelief, rubbing at my eyes to see if I was seeing things. Final verdict, I wasn't.

Because slumped across the splintered remains of a few benches was none other than Natsu, surrounded by three members of Eisenwald. At least I assumed they were Eisenwald, I mean Kageyama was between the two other men.

Although I wasn't showing anything externally, internally I was panicking. Had my appearance in the Fairy Tail world caused this? Was it my fault Natsu lost his fight now? And where did those two other Eisenwald members come from?

I watched in utter horror as the three members of the dark guild advances on Natsu, no doubt planning on killing the Fairy Tail wizard. I waited for something to happen, surely the R.O.B. wouldn't let one of the protagonists of the story die to three half-assed wizards. Would it?

 _Step. Step. Step._

Every second that I waited, the three men advanced on the dragon slayer.

 _Step. Step. Step._

I looked up at the sky. Come on! Are you seriously going to let him die here?

 _Step. Step. Step._

Fuck it! If the R.O.B. wasn't going to do anything about this, then I would. That was easier said than done though. I looked around for something I could use to draw their ire and found my eyes landing on a large splintered slab of wood. I grinned and picked it up.

Bringing my attention back to the two wizards plus two others, I wasn't sure if the lackeys were wizards themselves, I took aim at the shadow wizard and threw the splinter of wood at his head—

All I had to do was distract them for a single moment. A single moment that would give Natsu the chance to fight back against the dark guild members. All I needed was that one single moment. Come on!

 _THWACK!_

"Ow! What the hell man?"

—And… I hit Natsu in the head. Splendid…

Everyone turned to me and I shrank back at the glares I received. Especially Natsu's, he was surprisingly scary. "So-" I started. That's as far as I got.

"What the hell was that for man?" Natsu exploded, glaring at me. "That hurt! Do you wanna fight?"

I stared blankly at Natsu and chuckled lightly to myself, but after a moment I couldn't keep it to myself. My light chuckles quickly escalated into a full-blown raucous laugh. I couldn't believe how accurate Hiro had gotten the dragon slayer's personality. It _literally_ couldn't be described any better than it was now.

Unfortunately, no one else found my laughing humorous. In fact Kageyama, during my moment of laughter, walked up to me and slammed his knee into my stomach, effectively putting me out of commission and causing me to crumple to the floor.

"There's no need to waste my magic on you," Kageyama sneered. "You're even lower than this fairy, just a regular human being. A nobody."

I mentally berated myself for getting distracted and for foolishly believing that Kageyama was all smiles and rainbows. Until he was faced with the ultimatum of following orders and killing innocents, he would still be the sadistic motherfucker he had been. Fuck that hurt!

I knew that I had to come up with a plan quickly, lest I wished for my and Natsu's death by an aggravated shadow wielding wizard…

… Wait! That's it!

I glanced over at Natsu to see him still fuming and giving me the death glare. God, he looked like he was ready to punch something… and with the plan I had in mind, it was just going to get a whole lot worse. Although it was kinda scary, I knew what I had to do.

"Hey Natsu," I called, gaining his full rage-induced attention. "Are you seriously going to lose to these weaklings? You should have just stayed back at the guild and let Gray deal with this mess."

I was glad to say that my plan had worked, but I couldn't help but frown. I was sure that Natsu and Gray's _friendship_ wasn't a huge secret, but at the same time, it wasn't really advertised. I came to the decision that I shouldn't reveal any information I shouldn't know about to anyone else, unless _absolutely_ necessary.

Natsu looked shocked at first, but slowly more heat started to emanate off of his body. "What was that!" he exclaimed, pulling himself out of the thoroughly wrecked benches. "There's no way in hell I'd lose to Gray in anything!"

I smirked. He took the bait. "Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that," I said in faux boredom. "I'm sure Gray would have already mopped the floor with these guys."

At that point, Natsu was radiating heat like a magical furnace, as he became more and more pissed off. On second thought, this plan wasn't thought through very well.

"I could beat these guys up ten minutes ago!" Natsu roared, his fists combusting.

I didn't bother correcting him, I was more worried about my personal safety in the matter. I wasn't fucking a superhuman like the rest of these thickheaded idiots.

"Do it then, prove me wrong!" I shouted at him. Absolutely ready to dive out of harm's way when the fighting started.

 _TOOT! TOOT!_

Before that could happen though, the train started back up again and I glanced to the side to see Natsu cover his mouth due to his motion sickness. I grimaced

That had been possibly one of the worst coincidences I had ever had the pleasure of watching… partaking in? And that's with prior knowledge of it happening!

I quickly assessed the situation to as much as my panicked mind would allow me. It wasn't looking very good. Natsu was incapacitated due to his motion sickness, I had _no_ magic due to being from another world, and for a kick in the ass, there were three irritated wizards ready to rain hell on us. Fucking amazing.

I looked around for a solution, anything that could get us out of this mess, and frankly, the only option that came to mind was jumping out of the moving train via the gaping hole in the wall, but that was totally out of the question…

… Wait? Didn't Natsu do exactly that?

Just as I thought that I felt something tug the back of my shirt and pull me off my feet, holding me up like a cloth in the wind. I knew it was Natsu almost immediately.

Even though I'd been insulting him mere minutes ago, it was for a good cause, he wasn't the kind of person to leave someone behind. It brought a smile to my face.

After that, we were flying. Well sort of, we really only jumped out of a train moving a hundred miles per hour, but it was still awesome.

The next part to come wasn't nearly as awesome though, in fact, I was pretty sure it was really embarrassing. Because what happened next was a quick jolt of pain to the back of my head and then darkness. I'm pretty sure I was knocked out.

But hey, at least I didn't need some elaborate backstory to join Fairy Tail. That's a plus, right?

* * *

When I finally started to come to, my thoughts went straight to the sharp pain in the back of my head. God, it hurt. Maybe I'd gotten a concussion?

I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling above my head. I recognized that it was the inside of a magic mobile, which I assumed belonged to Team Natsu if earlier events were anything to base my assumption on.

I slowly sat up, and looked around the vehicle, disappointed to see that it was abandoned. I should have guessed that I was going to be left behind because I wasn't a member of Fairy Tail… _yet._

After getting my wits together, I stepped out of the magic mobile and into, what I assumed was Oshibana Town. It was a pleasant enough looking place if anyone took the time to actually appreciate the quaint feel of the town. Though I wasn't allowed such a luxury; I had some fairies to catch up to.

I looked up into the sky and saw a plume of smoke rising above the rooftops, which I assumed was where the fight between Fairy Tail and Eisenwald was taking place. I started in that direction.

On my way to Oshibana Station, I looked back on the fight in the train with Kageyama and winced. It wasn't the fact that Natsu and I more or less lost, but the fact that I was completely and utterly helpless. The reason for that being, I had no magic to speak of. I mean sure I could provide information and support, but that could only get me so far.

I realized that if I inevitably wanted to become a Fairy Tail wizard, then I would either have to learn magic or get a magical item… both of which seemed so unattainable.

I sighed and narrowed my eyes. Although there was the question of my power, I didn't have time to waste on that thought, I had a city to save and fairies to join.

As I arrived at the Oshibana Station, I couldn't help but notice the lack of security around the perimeter of the station. Actually the lack of people as well. Someone like me could easily just slip in without being noticed. Which I ended up doing.

When I stepped into the building, I immediately understood why everyone outside was giving the station such a wide berth. The place was chock full of dark guild members, who were probably able to tear into anyone who dared enter. That is if they weren't all already splayed across the floor, each with a multitude of cuts.

I took tentative steps forwards until I was just on the outskirts of the carnage in front of me. I bent down to examine one of the dark guild members bodies.

Immediately I noticed that the wizard was still alive, thank god, and that there was something silver in his pocket that caught my attention. I pulled it out and just as quickly discarded it onto the ground.

The reason for that being was that I just held a gun for the first time in my life. The weapon didn't shine like most did due to the matte silver paint job, but it sure as hell caught the attention of someone such as myself.

For the brief moment that I held the gun, the grip on the weapon was surprisingly comfortable. What I found peculiar about the weapon was the lack of anywhere to place bullets, but then I realized that this was probably a magic gun.

Never having really wanted anything to do with a gun, I was hesitant to hold it in my hands, but thinking back to my earlier thoughts on needing magical items and all…

I picked up the gun reluctantly and put it in the back pocket of my jeans. Although I was deathly afraid of shooting someone by accident, I knew that this was a necessary requirement to be a wizard. Plus if things didn't turn out the way I thought it would, I could just ask Alzack or Bisca for some gun training, right?

After I pocketed the magic item, I stood up and started to make my way through the field of unconscious bodies. Suddenly, I saw a blonde girl and a blue exceed run across the length of the train platform, a look of pure terror adorning their faces.

Normally, I would question my sanity at a moment like that, but knowing that Lucy and Happy were the sanest of the group, they probably had a good reason. I looked over at that good reason, already knowing that it would be Erza.

Seeing her crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, I couldn't help but smile. I know how that might sound, but I was admiring her dedication, it was truly breathtaking. She had both pushed herself to her limits driving the magic mobile and defeating all the small fry of the Eisenwald guild. I was impressed and moved to action…

I made my way over to the red-head and crouched down beside her, slinging her arm around my neck and supporting her weight. If she noticed, she didn't say anything-

"You're that civilian from the train accident with Natsu."

I should've learned to shut my mouth. "Yes, that would be me," I chirped.

"You have to evacuate," Erza said authoritatively, trying to stand but being unsuccessful. "The dark guild controlling this station plans on broadcasting a deadly spell across the loudspeakers that will kill you and everyone else in the vicinity!"

"I know," I replied easily. "They plan on using the demon flute Lullaby, right?"

Although she was stunned that I knew that, she continued, "If you know this, why aren't you evacuating then? You should know the effects of Lullaby."

I nodded. "Oh yeah, I know them."

"Then why aren't you leaving?" she asked carefully.

I smiled at the S-Class wizard and came up with an answer. "Because Fairy Tail's done so much for me, it's only fair to repay the favor!" I lied easily. I was gonna be doing a lot of that in the future.

I wasn't a member of the guild yet, but I planned on being one soon. If I wasn't ready to do something as simple as what I was about to do now, how would I be able to call myself a Fairy tail wizard in the future? I wanted to do this… no, I needed to do this!

We continued to trudge on in silence, with Erza falling in and out of consciousness. She really used up too much of her magical energy. I shook my head with a slight smile, her determination was both admirable and foolish.

Once we reached the destination I had in mind, I propped Erza up gently against one of the walls inside the station and stepped outside onto the balcony of the train station.

I vaguely remembered the message that Erza had given the people and I looked down at the civilians below. I knew that if I wasn't convincing enough, it could possibly spell out the deaths of many people. I hope I was ready to deliver that message.

I took in a deep breath of air, "Citizens of Oshibana!" I yelled as loud as I could. The people hushed up. "This train station has been taken over by the dark guild, Eisenwald! They plan on using a forbidden magic through the loudspeakers of this station! This magic will kill anyone who hears it, so I beg of you to leave here at once!"

I watched as the citizens below started to comprehend what I said and erupted into a chaotic mess trying to run from the station. I did it though, I'd been of some use.

Out of the corner of my vision, I saw one of the station employees approach me. "Hey you, why'd you make everyone panic like that?" he asked.

"All I said was the truth. I'd rather see them all in a panic, than dead on the floor," I said bitterly. "I suggest you guys evacuate too, it's not safe to be here right now."

The station employees glanced at me hesitantly, but after seeing no deceit in my eyes, they left quickly. It wasn't as if they wanted to die.

I felt a soft breeze on my back, that was slowly picking up, and I turned around.

My eyes widened and I mentally cursed. I had forgotten all about the wind barrier that Erigor erected. I was a fool. A voice called out from behind me, "Oh, so one of the flies managed to evade my trap?"

I quickly turned around and narrowed my eyes at the sight of the scythe wielder. "What do you want, Erigor?" I asked with as much venom as I could muster.

He smirked. "Why to kill everyone in this pathetic town."

"That's bullshit! What are you really after?" I asked with a glare.

He frowned. "So one of you know that I don't plan on using Lullaby on Oshibana Town. So tell me, why'd you evacuate everyone the way you did?"

"I don't know what kind of sick motherfucker you are," I stated plainly. "For all I know, you'll just end up using Lullaby on the town for the heck of it."

He looked at me with a small smile. "You amuse me insect, but unfortunately I don't have time to chat with you right now," he lifted his hand and a small magic circle appeared in the palm of his hand. "So this is goodbye for now."

The light from the magic made me look away, and I felt something slam into my stomach causing me to gasp for much-needed air, as it pushed me through the wind barrier. I didn't dare try to go back through.

"Well it seems you know there's no point in trying to escape my magic sealing barrier," Erigor stated. "It's one way only and if you try to escape, it'll tear you apart."

Against my better judgment and in a fit of spite, I used some future knowledge. "Do you really think that you'll be able to kill the guild masters with Lullaby?" I asked.

The sheer look of uneasiness was well worth the payoff though and I wished I had a camera to capture the moment… which I did. I pulled out my phone and snapped a shot.

Soon after, he recovered his calm demeanor and resumed where he had left off. "I'm not sure how you figured out about that, but I've wasted enough time on you," he said, as he floated out of sight. "Now if you'll excuse me."

I didn't bother saying anything back, it would be a waste of breath.

When I turned around, I noticed that Erza was standing and eyeing me suspiciously. I figured that that was due to her overhearing me and Erigor's conversation, and I made a mental note to not lose control of my temper… like _ever._

The silence was getting kind of heavy. "So… you feeling any better?" I asked.

She continued to stare at me. "Much better," Erza said with a nod. "I'd also like to thank you for helping with the evacuation of the civilians. It was quite noble of you."

"Don't mention it, I'm pretty sure anyone would have done it," I said honestly. "But that's not important right now, we've got to find a way out of this sealing barrier. Who knows what Erigor will do with Lullaby?"

I started to walk away, but when I noticed that Erza wasn't following me, I stopped. "Something the matter?" I asked.

She seemed to be staring at me intently. "Why are you doing all this?" she asked seriously. "You have no obligation to help out here. You could just walk away from all this and pretend nothing ever happened. So why?"

I was about to reply but stopped myself. Why _was_ I doing this? By all means, I could have just lived the life of a civilian. I was fairly educated and I knew a lot of information about Fiore, so why wasn't I?

As odd as this may sound, the answer came to me almost as soon as I thought it. "Is there really a need for a reason?" I asked inquisitively. "I've always been kinda average, I've never had anything to distinguish me from everyone else. But when I saw you Fairy Tail wizards in action, it made me want to accomplish something. I've always wanted to be someone like you, Natsu, or Gray; heck even Laxus… but I never had the chance. So yeah, I guess that's the reason why I'm helping," I finished weakly.

We stood in silence once more, but Erza didn't say anything back. I continued "Anyways… we still need to find a way out of this magical sealing barrier. Any ideas?"

There was a long pause before Erza said anything, but eventually, she did. "Perhaps the spell isn't maintained by Erigor?" Erza suggested. "Maybe one of his guildmates are maintaining the spell."

I was glad that the S-Class wizard wasn't forcing me to leave and all, but I shook my head. "That's not likely. Most spells cast this way are either self-sustaining or have a set time limit. Plus he doesn't seem like the type to trust others easily."

If memory served me correctly, due to Erza's interrogating that mouse whiskers dude, he had made sure that Kageyama was put out of commission. Thus he was unable to dispel the magic sealing barrier for us. I wasn't going to make that same mistake.

"If only there were some way to _dispel_ the barrier?" I mused out loud.

I turned to see Erza as realization dawned on her. "Wait a minute… back at the pub, I remember the members of Eisenwald were talking about some guy named Kage," she turned to me. "We have to find him, he's the one that broke Lullaby's seal."

I put a hand to my chin thoughtfully. "I remember back on the train that the one with the shadows was named Kageyama, maybe they're the same person?" I inquired.

"If so, that man went after Natsu and Gray," Erza added. "We've got to find them."

"Alright, let's get going then. We've got no time to waste," I replied.

Wasting no time, we hurried back to the center of the station planning on chasing after Natsu and Gray. Though before we could do any such thing, we heard some groaning from the Eisenwald members. Seemed like they were starting to come back to consciousness.

I looked over at Erza. "Should we…"

I let the sentence die off, as Erza nodded. "It'll probably be for the best."

Erza quickly went around the group of thugs and knocked out any of the ones regaining consciousness, while I went around tying them up.

When we finished tying them up, a familiar voice called out to us, "Erza!"

We both looked up to see Gray, standing on one of the balconies above. "What are you doing here?" Erza questioned. "You're supposed to be with Natsu!"

Gray frowned. "We split up, but nevermind that right now!" he said hurriedly. "We've got to get a move on it because I just found out Eisenwald's real objective! They plan on hitting the town after this, Clover Town! It's the place where the old men are having their meeting!"

I wasn't sure if this was just me or if it actually happened, but I swear Erza glanced at me out of the corner of her eye at the mention of Eisenwald's real target. I really needed to control my anger and be more careful.

Although she might have glanced at me, she looked up at Gray. "We know that they never intended to attack Oshibana Town," she said quickly. I think I knew where she was going with this… "And we need to find Ka-"

I cut her off. "And we need to find some way to get by the barrier!"

After hearing me cut her off like that, Erza turned to me in confusion. By now she probably knew that most of the things I did were never on accident, and she was right for the most part. I motioned towards the tied up Eisenwald members. I whispered, "Some of them might be feigning unconsciousness."

She seemed hesitant to agree but left it at that.

After that, we met up with Gray at the staircase and headed down the hallway that he and Natsu took earlier. We filled him in on the way to find the pink-haired idiot.

"So you're telling me that that Kageyama guy is the only one capable of taking down this wind barrier?" Gray asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, that pretty much sums up the whole of it."

He gave me a curious glance. "By the way who the heck are you?" he continued his stream of questions. "I mean I know you were with that fire-headed idiot on the train, but…"

I smiled happily and made to reply. "Oh, my name's-"

But before I could finish what I was saying, a large explosion could be heard somewhere not too far in front of us. Erza frowned. "Natsu better not have knocked out Kageyama, or else I swear there will be hell to pay."

Gray and I lagged a bit behind after that. "A piece of advice to you," the ice wizard said to me. "Don't ever get on Erza's bad side, it'll only cause you pain."

I gulped and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I can see that…"

After a few more moments, we ran up a flight of stairs and right into Natsu, who had Kageyama pinned up against a wall. Erza rushed forwards. "Wait Natsu! We need that man alive! He's the only one capable of dispelling the wind barrier around the station."

With that, she lashed out forwards with her sword and slashed through the stone, within mere inches of the shadow wizard's neck. Needless to say, I immediately understood why Natsu and Gray were so scared of Erza. She was merciless…

"You will dispel the wind barrier, and you will do so without complaint," she said.

I was very close to wetting myself and I'm sure Natsu was too.

Erza inched the blade a little closer to Kageyama's neck. "Understood."

"Fine, I'll dispel the barrier!" he said with a yelp.

I waited to see if the fat green-haired dude would show up and stab Kageyama through the chest, but after a moment of waiting, no one showed. I smiled.

I was glad that my plan worked, but at the same time, I was afraid. This was the first thing that I changed willingly. Back on the train, I had no choice, they were going to kill Natsu if I didn't step in, but here I didn't need to save Kageyama. Yet I did… What if messed things up? What if I shifted the storyline? What if…

I furrowed my brows as a thought struck me. So what _if_ I did change things? I mean it wasn't as if the R.O.B. brought me here to stand by and watch. Might as well tip the scale in favor of my soon to be guildmates. Throwing another hand into the mix would only benefit us, right?

"Bad timing, huh…" someone said from behind Natsu and me.

The both of turned around. "Oh hey, Lucy!" Natsu said nervously. "We're just getting Kageyama to help us out here, isn't that right? Haha!"

Lucy, Happy and I watched as Natsu started to laugh nervously and take periodic glances back at Erza. I laughed. "Oh man, you're scared shitless of her, aren't you Natsu?"

"I am not!" he shouted with a withering glare.

"Oh you definitely are," I said between laughter.

"Quiet you two!" Erza shouted, making us both shut up. Seems like I was pretty scared of her myself… "We're heading back to the front of the station and Kageyama will dispel the barrier there. Let's go."

We all nodded and backtracked all the way back to the front of the station, with the wind barrier a few feet away from us. We looked at the shadow wizard expectantly.

"All right, all right," he said quietly, as he walked up to the wind barrier. "I'll dispel the stupid wind barrier," he created a magic circle in his hand and slowly placed his arm into the sealing barrier. He pulled it out a few second later.

Nothing happened at first, but slowly the wind died down until there was nothing left but debris covering the perimeter of the train station. "Now hurry up, we've got to catch up to Erigor before it's too late," Erza ordered.

"It's no use, you'll never be able to catch up to Erigor."

We all turned to Kageyama. "Oh yeah, and how do you know that," I asked. Kageyama was about to respond, but I cut him off, "Because the way I see it, Natsu's going to kick his ass as soon as he catches up to that scythe-wielding son of a bitch."

"Uh, kid. I'm not sure you noticed, but Natsu's standing over there," Lucy said, pointing at empty air. She looked at where she was pointing. "Wait, where's Natsu!"

I smiled. "Oh, him? He took off as soon as we got out of the train station!" I exclaimed happily. "Boy was I surprised when that cat suddenly took off with him in the direction of Clover Town. That's not something you see every day."

"Wait are you trying to tell me that Natsu went to fight Erigor _alone_!" Lucy asked.

Gray sighed. "That's Natsu for you."

"That idiot," Erza said tiredly. "We've got to catch up to him. There's no doubt that he'll challenge Erigor by himself."

The five of us, yeah that includes Kageyama, quickly made our way back to the magic mobile and Erza took up the wheel again, though with a lot of complaints from Gray. Which he quickly got reprimanded for and thrown into the back.

We rode in silence, as the passing houses turned into trees and then stone. We were getting close, I could tell by the changing landscape. Though I was-

"So tell me," our attention shifted to Kageyama. He was still nursing wound from Natsu, and they looked fairly serious. I was actually surprised that he was able to dispel the wind barrier in the condition he was in. Why? Why'd you take me with you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked incredulously. God this sort of talk was getting on my nerves. "You obviously need a doctor, and since everyone evacuated Oshibana Town, we're taking you with us to Clover Town."

Kageyama seemed speechless at first, but he slowly regained his wits. "I don't understand… why are you helping me? We're enemies right?"

I frowned. I was getting really sick of his beaten foe routine.

He continued to speak, "Oh, I get it. You're taking me hostage to try and make a deal with Erigor. Well, you can forget it. He could care less about-"

"Shut up!" I yelled angrily. "Just because you're our enemy doesn't mean that we don't care about whether you live or die! Unlike you sick dark guild members, the lives of others mean something to us and we won't just abandon them in favor of our goals!" I was practically yelling by the end of my little speech.

I know that yelling was uncalled for, so sue me. I had been transported to another world, stranded in the middle a forest, forced to travel through said forest, kicked in the stomach by a sociopath, jumped out of a moving train, knocked unconscious by a magic mobile, and hit with a powerful wind spell into the depths of a deadly wind cocoon. This all spanning in the course of a day. Needless to say, I wasn't in the mood.

There was silence after my little outbreak, as I was sure Gray, Lucy, and Kageyama had no clue how to react. I wasn't really bothered by it and continued taking, though at a much quieter tone, "If you really don't care about your life, we can make sure you die," I started, drawing mixed responses from the others in the magic mobile with me. "But there's a lot more out there in this world, other than life or death. You shouldn't sulk about the bad that happens to you, but instead, revel in the good that happens to all of us."

No one knew what to say back to my speech, and I could tell that it had had the right impact. Good, I was glad that my message had gotten through to him at least somewhat.

After my little outbreak, Happy finally remembered what he wanted to say to Lucy and handed her Virgo's gate key. I was glad that that happened, as I was unsure of what would have become of Virgo's gate key because I had changed things. Turns out nothing much… or maybe the R.O.B. just made sure it got into the right hands. I didn't care much either way.

Also during this time, we'd managed to almost swerve off the tracks numerous times and I was sure that was due to Erza using up too much of her magical energy.

I sighed. "I'm going to go talk to Erza," I said slowly.

Gray frowned. "If this is about her using up too much of her magical energy, she's just going to kick your ass and drag it back here," he said knowingly. I mean I guess he did know, he did just go through that same thing before we left Oshibana Town.

I shook my head and grinned. "I highly doubt it, I've got a secret weapon."

Gray raised a brow but said nothing more.

I took that as a reasonable response for me to knock on the window and open it up, sliding myself through it and into the seat next to Erza. I opened my mouth—

"If you're here to tell me to stop, forget about it," she said dangerously.

—I immediately shut my mouth.

After working up the courage again, I spoke up, "Listen Erza, this isn't something that you need to shoulder on your own. You've got friends and family to rely on."

I looked for a reaction, but couldn't find one. I continued, "Natsu, Gray; heck even Lucy at this point. They're all here for you, anytime that you need them. So if you aren't up to the task, let one of them help you. So will you please let them help you?"

She continued to drive in silence, and I was almost sure she was going to ignore me, but, "I can do this, don't worry about me," she said finally.

I sighed, I guess it was still a little too early to help Erza with her trust issues. She really hadn't started opening up until after the Tower of Heaven arc. I guess it was time for _Plan B_.

"Alright Erza, how about we make a deal instead?" she glanced over at me curiously. Good. I had her attention. "In exchange for you letting Gray drive the magic mobile, I'll buy you some strawberry cake when we're through with this mess."

Her eyes seemed to sparkle and she started to drool slightly at the thought of strawberry cake. Frankly, I was wondering what her obsession over strawberry cake was in the first place, but hey if it got me what I wanted, I wasn't complaining.

She looked me over suspiciously. "You aren't lying to me, are you?"

"No, of course not," I lied. I didn't have any fucking money, I was so dead after this.

She seemed to mull it over in her head, but I already knew she had taken the bait. I smiled wickedly, as she replied, "Alright fine you've convinced me. Get Gray up here and I'll let him take over."

I nodded my head unsteadily and shimmied my way back through the window, taking a seat next to Lucy. Gray looked over at me. "So?" he asked.

"I'm a dead man," I said seriously, scaring both Lucy and Happy.

Gray nodded. "I guess she didn't take it well?"

I shook my head. "Oh far from that, I convinced her to let you drive," I said proudly before my fear returned. "I just promised her strawberry cake… and I've got no money."

Gray locked up and Lucy looked between the both of us. "What's the big deal? It's just a piece of cake, I'm sure Erza won't really care either way," she reassured.

I started to laugh maniacally. "Gray did you hear that I think Lucy's gone crazy!"

"I am not, you bastard!" she shouted back at me. It was kinda funny.

Gray shivered. "Lucy the last time Natsu and I made her drop her cake, she beat us up," the ice wizard explained fearfully. "Who knows what she'll do this time."

I gulped and wondered what she _would_ do to me, but sighed in the end. There wasn't any point in worrying about the future, and if worst came to worst, I could just borrow money from Lucy or something. She never cared when Natsu was in her room.

"Anyways Gray, you should probably get up there and switch places with Erza before she changes her mind," I told him. "I don't want to need to _convince_ her again."

Gray nodded and I moved out of the way so that he could shimmy through the window. I waited for Erza to come back through, but it seemed she was planning on sticking up front to make sure that Gray didn't screw up. Typical.

After a few minutes or so of driving, I heard Erza call out that she caught sight of some flames a little further ahead and we all looked out of the magic mobile in anticipation of Natsu and Erigor's fight.

Sure enough moments later, we found Natsu in the middle of the tracks with Erigor lying on the ground in a helpless heap. It was quite amusing in my opinion.

As we approached them, Lucy called out to Natsu and he turned to greet us.

"You guys missed it!" Natsu exclaimed with a grin. "I just beat up Erigor!"

We all stepped out of the vehicle to congratulate Natsu, though Erza needed some support from Lucy due to exhausting herself. "I'm proud of you Natsu," she said.

I glanced over at Erza hesitantly. "Are you going to be okay?" I asked.

"Yes, don't worry about me," she stated. "As soon as we reach Clover Town, I'll let you guys handle delivering Lullaby to the guild masters and I'll rest up."

We watched in slight amusement as Natsu and Gray bickered about how long it took the dragon slayer to deal with Erigor, but I think the greatest part of it all was when Natsu asked for Lucy's clothes. It made me smile at how relaxed they could all be.

Although I was expecting Kageyama to grab Lullaby and make a dash for it, I almost didn't notice him grab it and get into the magic mobile. I knew that he wouldn't actually end up using it, but I had grown fond of the shadow wizard.

I snuck back into the vehicle when none of Team Natsu was looking and waited for the inevitable… the _inevitable_ almost made me lose my lunch. We lurched forwards at an incredible speed and went down the tracks, heading for Clover Town.

I hoped I could convince Kageyama to not go through with this.

* * *

After an hour or so of traveling, the magic mobile started to slow down and I knew that we had reached our destination. The annual meeting of the Masters.

The grass outside crunched underneath, and I figured that Kageyama had stepped out. It was now or never if I wanted to make sure that he stayed out of jail for as long as he could, I needed to make sure he didn't go through with this.

I stepped out of the vehicle and walked a few feet away from Kageyama, who was resting against a tree overlooking the guild master conference hall. He didn't notice me yet, and that gave me enough time to read into the situation.

He looked so hesitant to go through with his guild's plan.

"I know you're there," Kageyama said. He turned around to face me, he continued, "And I know you're here to try and stop me, but you can't. I'm not who you think I am and nothing you say will stop me from going through with this," he turned back around.

I just continued to stare at him, but when he started to raise the flute to his mouth, I took action. "None of this will change anything, you know," I started.

He stopped and I continued, "Even if you manage to kill all the guild masters, it doesn't mean that the kingdom will lift the laws on dark guilds. In fact, they'll probably reinforce them even more than ever."

A pause. "You don't think I don't know this?" he asked quietly. "You don't think I don't know that this is wrong in every sense… I'm not Erigor."

"Then why?" I asked calmly. "Why do all of this if you know that it's wrong?"

He frowned and sighed. "Because I have to…" he said reluctantly. "For Karacka, Rayule, heck even Byard. They didn't deserve the lives that they were forced into, but it was the only way that they could sustain themselves…"

"But why didn't you just join a legal guild?"

Kageyama snorted. "You don't think I didn't try?" he asked spitefully. "All legal guilds are the same though. All they care about is the fame and the glory, and if you aren't able to contribute to the guild that way, then you aren't of any value to them."

He turned to me. "That's the kind of world we live in, kid."

There was a long silence between the both of us, as I started to comprehend what he was trying to say. There were indeed guilds just like the ones Kageyama was talking about, Saber Tooth was a shining example of that before they reformed, but once again he was thinking of only the negatives and not the positives.

I waited for him to continue. "We're not that different than other guilds, you know. We drink together, we eat together, we laugh together… the only thing that differentiates us is our jobs. So why are we discriminated?"

"Because killing innocent people is wrong," I answered plainly.

He chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, I know… but they deserve it for what they did to us."

"Just because you have the means to do so, doesn't mean that you have to," I placed a reassuring arm on his shoulder. "I mean sure the world has been cruel to you, but so what? I like to think that there's always something in this world there's worth living for, whether that be your friends or your family. They're all there for you, and you're there for them; you said so yourself. So don't let anything get in your way of living life to your full potential, especially not something as stupid as that flute."

Silence permeated the area as Kageyama remained quiet. For a second I thought I didn't get through to him, but slowly his grip on Lullaby loosened and it fell to the ground.

I stared at him curiously. "So does this mean that you surrender?"

He smiled sadly, and that was all the confirmation I needed.

There was another pause in our conversation, as I didn't know what to say. What was taking Natsu and the others so long to get here? And where was Master Makarov? Wasn't he suppose to be the one to confront Kageyama?

"You know what's the worst part about all this?" he asked regrettably, drawing me from my thoughts. "It's that my little sister's going to see the kind of fuck up her big bro really is."

That drew a reaction out of me. I didn't know that Kageyama had a sister, but I guess it made sense since the shadow wizard's past was never revealed in the story.

He smiled fondly. "She still thinks that I'm some kind of genius wizard that's part of the greatest guild in Fiore. Talk about an imagination," he chuckled, but it quickly grew sour. "But it turns out I'm just some second-rate nobody who can't even bring himself to finish a job."

Before I could so much as tell him that he did the right thing, or that he wasn't some second-rate nobody, a _very_ familiar voice reached our ears, "Ooh! There sure are a lot of hot numbers in this week's issue!"

We both turned around to stare at none other than the leader of the Fairy Tail guild, Makarov… I started to wonder where he had been moments ago. "Wow! Young wizarding ladies are so much more powerful than they were back in my day… and sexier too!"

I almost cringed… wait no, I did. "Makarov Dreyar?" I asked.

He looked up from his magazine in surprise, almost like a deer caught in the headlights. It was quite amusing. "Yes, child," he replied quickly.

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously

"Well, you see-", he started. Though before he had to answer the uneasy question, another interruption saved his ass. "Master Makarov! You're alive!"

All three of us turned this time to see Natsu and the others running up to us. It was obvious they had been expecting the worst if the battle armor Erza was wearing was anything to go off of. I mean Kageyama did drive off with the magic mobile with them having no way of catching up or warning the guild masters. Luckily I had been there… not that it would've made much of a difference. Makarov would've talked him out of it anyways, but I liked to think that I contributed in a way.

When they caught up to us, Erza immediately smashed Makarov's head into her breastplate in a hug, and Natsu started to 'pat' him on the back. Whatever animosity I held for the old man and his pervertedness went away immediately. The poor guy probably only had his magazines to keep him sane.

"What are you kids doing here?" Makarov asked in confusion.

"Master! We're just glad you're alright!" Erza said happily. "We were worried for you and the other guild masters."

"Yeah, but thankfully everything went well alright thanks to you!" Natsu exclaimed as he pointed at me. "Good job kid! I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Wait, you guys were watching?" I asked in surprise. "And you didn't bother to help? I could've got the guild masters killed!"

Gray tsked. "Oh, believe me, we tried to help you, but this Blue Pegasus guild master wouldn't stop getting in our way."

"You better believe it, honey," Bob said, as he pulled Gray into a stubble scratching hug.

I looked on with an amused smile, as the Fairy Tail wizards carried on with their banter and overall joy. It was contagious, but I started to notice purple energy emitting from Lullaby, and I knew that Zeref's monster was coming out. I backed away from it slowly and made my way over to Makarov and the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards.

"I've grown tired of you cowardly wizard and your antics!" it screamed. The flute started to rise up into the air and encircle itself in a magic circle.

"Hey, something's coming out of the flute," Happy announced. Thanks Happy, no shit something coming out! I couldn't tell by the mile-long magic circle in the sky!

Just then, Lullaby spoke up again, "I can no longer hold back! I shall come forth myself to devour you all!"

It was safe to say, that no matter how much I had gotten used to being scared in this world. Truly magic was terrifying! I wasn't prepared to face down one of _the_ Zeref's living magic beings from the Books of Zeref.

It was large, maybe the size of a small mountain, and made entirely of wood-like material. It also had three fairly menacing magenta eyes, but what really surprised me about the monster was the sheer amount of holes all over its body. Did Natsu and the others even need to puncture it for it to not be able to sing it's melody of death?

I was drawn from that thought when what Lullaby said next made me shiver down to the core of my being. "I shall feast upon your pitiful souls!" it cried.

It wasn't really what Lullaby said that made me shiver, but the way it said it. The tone reminded me of something maybe a succubus would speak in, sorta enticing in a way. Almost made me want to sleep forever…

 _THWACK!_

"Ow!" I rubbed the side of my head and looked down at a rock, and then up at Natsu. Did he just throw that rock at me? I think he just saved my life…

He grinned. "Just repaying the favor!"

I smiled back but didn't say anything more.

"What is that thing?" Kageyama shouted. "Erigor never said anything about a monster!"

I stood up from the position I fell in while entranced by Lullaby's voice. "It's a demon from the Book of Zeref," I explained to the mages with me. "He dealt with living magic, so this must be one of his creations."

"Who's Zeref?" Gray asked curiously. "Wasn't he some kind of ancient wizard?"

The guild master Bob, from Blue Pegasus, placed an arm around Gray, causing him to struggle against the unwanted attention. "Why he was the evilest wizard the world has ever known," the cross-dressing man answered. "He was very powerful in his day, but never in my wildest dream did I ever think that I would see his dark legacy pop back up again."

While the guild master Bob was speaking, Lullaby had lowered itself closer to the ground in order to inspect us. Of course, I hadn't been paying attention to it, so when I looked up I might have screamed. "Now then, which of you delectable souls should I dine on first?" it asked, looking over all of us carefully.

"Delectable, huh?" Natsu asked, not too far away. He then looked over at Gray. "Do you think that souls are really that tasty?"

Oddly enough, I found myself wondering the same thing. It was really, really strange though. I thought that they really could be tasty… or maybe that was just my scared self-deluding itself from the harsh reality we were facing.

"Natsu and Gray!" Erza called out. "Go into town and make sure that everyone has evacuated! We have to make sure that no one is left behind!"

Of course, Natsu and Gray would have none of that and immediately started to argue. It didn't end up well for them… maybe a couple bruises across the head, at the least.

I decided to step in here because I knew that it would be suicide to fight this thing alone. "Now hold on Erza!" I shouted, drawing her ire. It sent a cold feeling down my spine. "You guys are a team! Fighting that thing by yourself would be suicide! Try to be reasonable here, with both Natsu and Gray you'll have a better chance at defeating Lullaby! Besides Lucy and I can help evacuate the civilians!"

She seemed to ponder this for a second before she relented. "Fine, just make sure you get as many people as possible away from Lullaby before things start getting rough."

I nodded my head. "Come on Lucy, we've got to hurry!"

"Alright," she said with determination, as she followed me into Clover Town.

When we got there, I was mostly winded already, I felt some heat prickling the back of my neck and I looked behind me. Boy was I surprised.

Past Natsu, Lullaby, and the others, I saw that one of the mountains in the distance had been completely and utterly obliterated. Lucy looked on in utter horror and said, "Did that monster just destroy a mountain?"

"Well yeah," I replied. "How does that surprise you?"

"Come on Lucy," Happy continued. "You should use your brain for once."

"Shut up, cat! No one asked you!" Lucy screamed back… she really had a temper.

We moved further into the town, after having searched the houses closest to Lullaby. It felt like a ghost town, which I guess was true since everyone probably ditched the village at first sight of the behemoth of a monster in their backyard.

Tremors happened every so often, as the fight between Fairy Tail and Lullaby continued. Even though I knew the outcome of the battle, I was still concerned about the well being of Natsu and the others. I had come to be quite fond of them, but I knew this wasn't the time to worry, I had a more important task at hand.

We came across a few stragglers here and there and quickly helped them on their way out of the town. We also came across a few of the richer folk who tried to scam us into helping pull their wagons of belongings for them. I was pretty pissed at that.

"Damn rich people, thinking there all that much better than us," I mumbled grumpily, before asking no one in particular, "Are they all assholes?"

I caught a glimpse of a pained face in my peripheral and regretted my words instantly. Of course, they weren't all assholes… Lucy was living proof of that, but what was said was said, and there was nothing I could do about it now.

There was an awkward tension in the air, which Happy seemed to be oblivious to, as he continued to barrage Lucy with insults. What did the exceed have against her?

As the two continued to not exactly argue but not exactly banter, a really faint voice caught my attention. "Mommy? Daddy?" a little girl called out quietly.

"Quiet you two," I hushed them. They both fell silent, as I strained my hearing.

"Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?" There it was again…

I started to really listen to the little girl's voice and walked off in that direction with Lucy and Happy following me. We eventually came across the little girl in one of the less fortunate sections of town. Most of the buildings in this area had collapsed.

I motioned for Lucy and Happy to stay back and I approached the little girl. I was sure that Lucy and Happy were fine with little children, but when the two were together I wasn't sure the kid wouldn't want to run away.

As I kneeled in front of her, I noticed that she hadn't taken notice of me yet. She held a small hand over her eyes, as she rubbed at them furiously to get rid of the tears. During which I watched her closely.

The little girl looked to be around six years old, and she held a small green stuffed wyvern in one hand by the tail. She had black hair, similar to mine, pulled back into two small pigtails and when she pulled back her hand and finally noticed me, I got to see the most precious amber eyes in the world.

I assumed that this little girl got separated from her parents during the tremors and that we would have to find them for her… was I ever wrong?

"Hey little one," I said reassuringly, kneeling to her level. Trust me, I learned that children are more at ease when they can see you face to face. "Are you lost? Do you need help finding your parents?"

The little girl sniffed and shook her head. "No, not really…" she said hesitantly.

Although I found it strange that she didn't need any help finding her parents, I didn't push the matter any further than I needed to. "How old are you?" I asked

"Six," she replied, rubbing at her eyes again and looking down.

"Can I get your name please?" I continued.

She sniffed again, before answering with a quiet, "Sarah."

"Well Sarah, I know your parents might have asked you to stay here and wait for them, but right now there's a really dangerous monster nearby and I have to take you away to safety. Do you understand?" I explained, receiving a little nod of understanding from her.

"Alright then," I confirmed, grabbing ahold of the arm not holding the wyvern plushie. Though when I tried to walk forwards, I felt a slight resistance on my arm and looked back at Sarah curiously. "What is it, Sarah?" I asked.

She pointed at one of the fallen buildings. "Mommy and daddy are still in there. Do you think that we can wait for them? They said they would be out soon…"

My heart sunk at her words and I looked back up at the fallen building. It sunk even further when I looked at the structure. There was no way anybody had survived that building collapse. It just wasn't possible.

I looked down at the girl with puffy red eyes from crying and frowned slightly. Although she was sad, it was obvious that her sadness was caused by other means, and not by the death of her parents. The poor girl probably wasn't even aware that her parents were dead.

I was really at a loss for words. "Um, Sarah… your mommy and daddy… they aren't coming back." I said with guilt welling up in my chest. I know it might seem cruel to keep the truth from her, but she was only six… I didn't want to traumatize her.

"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly. "They promised…"

…

"They wouldn't just leave me…"

…

"Would they?" she looked up at me with the most heart-wrenching look.

I couldn't do it any longer, I caved in. "I'm so sorry, Sarah. Your parents are dead…"

I regretted those words almost immediately because the pained shock plastered across her face actually caused pain to my chest, as tears started to flow down her face again.

I quickly pulled her into my chest and let her sob until the next tremor hit. I looked up at Lullaby with fury and hoped that Natsu and the others beat the living shit out of it. It deserves at least that much pain in return for its actions.

I looked back down at the sobbing girl in my arms and wondered how I could have ever believed that this world was perfect.

I mean sure I knew that there was death in this world. Ur, Rob (poor fellow to be named that), and Simon to name a few, and I accepted their deaths as a sacrifice to better the lives of everyone else. Aside from the main cast, I never really thought about what happened in Earth Land. I had been too engrossed in the story of Fairy Tail to really pay attention to anyone else.

It just made me feel that much worse when I held Sarah in my arms. I mean, I could have saved them… her parents. If I just hadn't been so selfish.

The ground shook again, and I saw another building crumble not too far away. I didn't want to bother the little girl while she was still in shock of her parents' deaths, but we needed to move now if we wanted to get away.

I slowly but firmly picked Sarah up and motioned Lucy and Happy over. Once they made their way over to me, I quickly made sure they wouldn't be arguing by motioning to the crying girl on my back. They nodded their heads and we started to make our way out of town.

It was a lot harder to travel back due to all the fallen buildings, but eventually, we managed to clear a way out of the wrecked town and back to Makarov and the other guild masters that weren't being massive cowards.

"Hey, we're back," I said, turning a few heads. The tremors were still ongoing. "We managed to evacuate _most_ of the civilians before the damage to the town prevented us from going in any further. How's everything going on this side?"

"Take a look for yourselves," guild master Bob said dreamily.

I took the moment to look up and saw that Lullaby was in bad shape. I even think that I saw a few of the holes that Natsu and the others punched into it. Though I was pretty sure they didn't create them on purpose.

Lullaby was quickly getting more and more frustrated as the fight continued, and at some point, a magic circle appeared above its head and energy was quickly being consumed from the earth around. "Just one note and your souls shall be mine!" it exclaimed.

Everyone waited for the inevitable melody of death, and even though I knew that it wouldn't work, it still made me shiver when I saw it clasp its hands together. And—

 _FWOOSH!_

—Nothing came out. Absolute silence.

"Wait, what happened?" Lucy asked while covering her ears.

Lullaby looked confused. "I don't understand! Why can't I play my melody of death?!"

I grimaced. "It's because of all the holes that Natsu and the others punched into you, dumbass!" I yelled up at Lullaby. I couldn't help it, even though I knew that that thing could kill me in an instant, I was still pissed off about the fact of all the deaths it caused.

"Talk about anticlimactic," Lucy chimed in, with a little 'aye' from Happy.

After that, it seemed to be even more enraged due to Lucy and I, which I had no regrets for, and summoned another magic circle from its mouth, shooting a stream of fire directly at us. I wasn't really afraid because of an ice wizard that stepped out in front of us.

"Ice-Make Shield!" Gray shouted, as a large formation of ice materialized in front of us and withstood the fire. I wondered how that worked…

After that, Lullaby looked down and I followed its gaze towards Natsu, who was happily gorging himself on the flames that it had created. Though the monster would have none of that and quickly punched the spot where the fire dragon slayer was standing.

During Lullaby's moment of distraction, Gray took the opportunity to create a spinning blade of ice. "Ice-Make Saucer!" he shouted, as he launched the ice at Lullaby's midsection, throwing it off balance.

Erza followed up moments later. "Requip: Black Wing Armor!" she cried, as she shifted her gear from Heaven's Wheel to Black Wing, and slashed at Lullaby's face making it really start to fall to the ground.

And finally, the fighting reached its crescendo. Lullaby gave way to gravity and toppled to the ground with a mighty crash and a loud cry could be heard from high up above. All of us looked up to see Natsu.

He came flying down from wherever he had been, forming a large ball of fire in between both his hands. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" he exclaimed, as he threw the large ball of fire with all his might at the monster hailed as one of Zeref's demons.

Lullaby screamed in pain from the fire scorching its body, and although the screaming was excruciatingly painful, it eventually stopped with a large beam of blinding light shooting off into the shrouded night sky. There was silence after that, until…

"Wow, that was amazing," someone said in awe. Indeed it was, though it took me a while to realize that it was Sarah that said it. I was surprised, to say the least, but if this was how she wanted to cope with her losses, I think it was for the best.

I looked down at her with a smile. "Yeah… yeah, it was," I said fondly.

Sarah looked away shyly, before coming back face to face with curious eyes. "Are you one of them?" she asked.

I was about to answer her question with a no. That I wasn't, in fact, a Fairy Tail wizard, as much as I desired to be one. That I was just an ordinary human- "Of course he is," I turned to Makarov in shock. He looked back at me. "That is what you wanted, right?"

I was at a loss for words. This was it. What I had been waiting for. All I had to say was yes… yet, I couldn't get anything past the lump in my throat. I didn't know what was stopping me, but I just couldn't say it. Thankfully I didn't need to…

"Of course it is, Master," Erza said, coming up behind me. She looked me in the eyes with a smile. "He said so himself. After all, a guild is a place for others to accomplish what they want, and Fairy Tail just so happens to be the best."

…And just like that, it clicked. It wasn't because I didn't want to join Fairy Tail that I hesitated, rather it was because I wanted to. Like I _really_ wanted to. Now I know that that might sound like it made no sense but to me… it was clarity.

All I had ever been thinking about before was a way to survive this world and return home safe and sound, but after having fought alongside the Fairy Tail guild, I realized that I wanted more than that…

I wanted an adventure… guess the R.O.B was right.

With barely contained excitement, I shook my head vigorously and pulled Erza and _Master_ Makarov into a hug, which Erza reacted with giving me a few bruises on the head. Though I just laughed it off with glee.

"By the way, child," Master Makarov mused. "What is your name?"

Erza looked over curiously. "Yes, I'm also curious. You never told us it."

I froze but continued to laugh soon after. I guessed throughout this whole shenanigans, I never really did get the chance to tell them my name. Oh well, might as well give a proper introduction now. I bowed slightly.

"My name is Nathaniel. Nathaniel Valentine."


	2. Chapter 2 - Clover Canyon and Magnolia

**Author Notes:**

Hey all,

This is Snail_Emperor and I'm bringing you the second chapter of An Adventure to Call My Own. Thankfully, I've managed to finish this chapter within the monthly upload time frame. Anyways, this chapter is a bit more mellow compared to the first, as it mainly focused on character development and plot layout. I've been blabbing on for too long as it is, so without further ado. Enjoy my story!

Update: I'm so sorry for all the grammar mistakes, I uploaded this really late into the night.

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 2 - Clover Canyons and Magnolia**

"We are lost."

I twitched. I had heard enough of this already.

"We are lost in the middle of a canyon," Lucy continued.

"Please stop," Natsu and Gray moaned _in_ unison.

"We are lost. In the middle of a canyon. That is said to be impossible to escape from."

"I get it!" Happy cried suddenly, tears welling up in his eyes, as he got more depressed by the second. "I'm sorry that we're lost and I'm sorry we've been going in circles for ten hours straight. It was a bad idea, okay."

"Yeah, no shit hairball!" Lucy shouted. "Why wouldn't you admit you were just as lost as us in the first place? We wouldn't be in this mess otherwise! And if you-"

"Would you both shut up," I hushed in annoyance. God, they were getting on my nerves. Plus… "You're going to wake _someone_ if you keep on yelling at each other."

Happy and Lucy looked at the little girl clinging to my back and had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. They both also quieted down considerably.

I sighed in relief and adjusted myself slightly to make sure Sarah was a little more comfortable, before settling into the relaxing silence that Lucy and Happy _generously_ provided.

Though that didn't last long. Something to take note of with Fairy Tail… not a single moment of relaxation. "By the way, why did you take that little girl along?" Erza asked.

I sighed in annoyance before I thought about her question, and after a bit of consideration, I answered her in the most appropriate way I knew how. "I don't know," I replied.

And really, I _didn't_ know. It just sorta happened. In a spur of the moment.

As much as I knew that it was a bad idea and that I had no money or even a place to live. My heart had gotten the better of me and I did something that I knew lacked better judgment and sense, but in no way did I regret.

I decided to adopt her… sorta?

I mean she had no family to speak of. I had even gone around asking the evacuated members of Clover Town. None of them, and I literally mean none of them knew anything about her relatives or such.

I turned my head slightly and took in Sarah's sleeping face. She had been through so much in so little time, yet she still clung to happiness instead of despair. It made me smile at how courageous she was being.

 _GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE!_

We all glanced over at Natsu. "Man, I need some food," he moaned depressingly.

"Don't say that, you idiot. It'll just make us all hungrier," Gray scolded.

I sighed. "Gray, I'd agree with you if I wasn't so damn hungry myself," I interjected. "I don't even think the master's holding up well."

"That's ridiculous," Erza replied. "The master's stronger than-"

"No, Nate is right," Master Makarov cut her off gently. "I'm indeed hungry."

I flashed a victorious smile over at Erza, something with which she was not pleased with. Our stomachs growled collectively. "Maybe we should keep moving," I suggested.

Everyone agreed with that and we continued to walk along the canyon.

Eventually, as we were trudging around in our miserable half starved existences, we stumbled across something that piqued all of our interests. Namely a school of talking flying fish. "I can fly! You can fly! Can you fly?" they chorused.

"What are those things?" Natsu asked.

"Those are winged fish!" Happy gasped, drool dripping from his mouth. "They're supposed to be super delicious! Let's catch and cook em _now_!"

Natsu grinned. "Sounds good to me!"

I watched on with slight amusement at everyone's enthusiasm. From what I remembered, they were supposed to taste so horrible that a job request was put up for 30,000 jewels for any brave soul willing to eat one of them.

I was about to let them know about this when something much better came to mind. I promptly shut up and giggled to myself. "Yeah," I repeated, "Why don't we try catching one?"

Before I made my way over to my guildmates, I gently took Sarah off of my back and tried to wake her. "Hey, Sarah. Wake up," I coaxed, shaking her slightly.

"Mmh," she whined, turning away from me. Seemed she was still sleepy.

I decided to let her rest and took off my shirt, balling it up in my hands and placing it under her head on a makeshift pillow. I hoped it was a bit more comfortable than the ground.

I looked back to see that everyone was already sitting on the ledge with a fishing pole in hand, while I was stuck wondering how it was humanly possible to do so… then again this was the Fairy Tail universe. Natsu threw me a fishing rod. "Hurry up and join us," he said.

I looked down at the pole in my hand and over at the flying fish, then shrugged and sat down between Master Makarov and Lucy. Just because I wasn't going to eat one of the flying fish, didn't mean I wasn't going to try catching one. I mean it looked really fun, and I was kind of interested to see how hard it really was to catch one of them.

And to be honest, it was totally underwhelming. I managed to catch seventeen fish in the span of time it took the other six of my guildmates to catch _one_ … talk about pathetic. Did everyone else just suck at fishing? "Guys… just how?" I asked glumly.

Happy continued to drool. "That doesn't matter! What does though is the amount of fish you caught for all of us!" he exclaimed happily. "Natsu cook em for us!"

Natsu nodded and lightly blew fire on the rock the fish were lying on.

I had to admit I was impressed. It looked like it took a great deal of concentration for Natsu to keep a consistent stream of weak fire going that wasn't his usual 'no limits, I'll destroy anything' one. Magic really was interesting.

After a moment, the fish was cooked and ready to eat.

"Well, let's not waste any time. We wouldn't want the food that Nate so generously provided to get cold, would we? So…" Master Makarov started, grabbing one of the fish on a skewer and raising it up high. "Let's eat!"

Everyone else cheered and grabbed their own, raising it to their mouths. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see their reactions, but…

"Hey, Nate?" I turned to Lucy. "Aren't you going to eat any?"

Huh? Oh, no. I started to sweat. "Well you see, I'm not actually that hungry… all that fishing sorta tired me out and I lost my appetite," I mentally patted myself for such a great excuse—

"Don't be silly," Natsu smiled, pulling me under his arm with a fish skewer in his other hand. "The man who caught the fish deserves the first bite!"

—Bad excuse! Abort! Abort! Please have mercy! I don't want the fish!

He managed to shove half of it into my mouth.

You know that feeling for when you eat too much and bile starts to rise in your throat? Yeah, that's pretty much what my mouth felt like for the agonizing seconds that it was inside. It wasn't pleasant…

I spat the clumps of fish out of my mouth and looked for anything to get rid of the taste. I settled for the ground, and even that tasted better than the fish. "Oh sweet ground, you taste so much better than that rancid fish." I kissed the ground.

When I looked up, everyone was staring at me weirdly. "Is it really that bad?" Lucy asked warily. "I mean you made it look really, really bad…"

I looked at her with a somewhat crazed smile. I grabbed the half of the fish I hadn't eaten and walked towards her menacingly. "How about you try one and find out," I demanded.

She backed up a little. "I think I'll pass," she said with a nervous laugh. "Don't want to put on any extra weight, if you know what I mean."

"I guess so," I said with a smirk. "I mean I can kind of see a bulge."

Lucy narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Are you calling me fat?" she asked.

I averted my own. "Of course not," I replied innocently.

While the two of us were arguing, I happened to notice Happy walk up to the pile of fish and take a bite out of one. His reaction was more or less the same as mine. "Gross!" he exclaimed, as he spat out whatever was left in his mouth.

Though unlike me, he threw the remaining fish off the cliff and into the canyon.

Everyone stared in mute shock. "The fish…" Master Makarov wept.

Erza turned on the poor exceed. He looked ready to piss himself. "If we make it through this," she said sharply. "You're buying me a strawberry cake alongside Nate."

…Oh right. The cake. I was so dead.

Happy nodded furiously under Erza's stern gaze. "Good, then let's keep moving."

We obeyed her immediately. Don't get me wrong, Erza was great and all, but I had to agree with Natsu and Gray, she was absolutely terrifying.

As we continued to move along the canyon, I realized that all that fishing we'd just done had made me hungrier. Of course, that made me wonder how everyone else was faring due to me already having eaten some _fish_ … they must have been starving.

I was drawn out of my musing when I heard a muffled voice beside me, "Mommy… Daddy… where'd you two go? Please don't leave me…" I looked over to see tears staining Sarah's face. It seemed she was having a nightmare.

"Hey, Sarah," I said quietly, trying to wake her. "Wake up, please."

Her head shot up from my shoulder and she grabbed ahold of my body very tightly. Now that would have been fine if she didn't have both arms around my neck at the time. "Sarah, I can't breath… let go please!" I shouted coughs.

Sarah realized what she was doing and quickly relaxed, allowing me to get air back into my system. She buried her face into my shoulder and mumbled. "Sorry…"

I watched her cry quietly for a bit, as she rubbed her eyes vigorously. I helped her off of my back and knelt down in front of her. "Listen, Sarah… it's me that should be sorry," I said quietly, knowing that what I was about to say next might make her hate me. "I couldn't save your parents. I tried, I really tried to save everyone, but I just wasn't strong enough."

I looked up to see Sarah's reaction, but her expression was neutral. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, so I continued, "Natsu. Gray. Either one of them could have done a better job of helping, but I stopped them because I thought that Erza wouldn't be able to fight Lullaby alone. So if anyone should be sorry, it's me…"

I waited for her to tell me off, heck even hit me for all I cared. I probably deserved it. Instead, what I got were a few words. "Did you _really_ try your hardest?" she asked.

I kept my eyes on the ground but nodded nonetheless, wondering where she was going with that. I felt something touch the top of my head lightly and looked up.

Through her tear stained eyes, she smiled slightly. "Then I forgive you."

When those words left her mouth, I started crying a bit, and by that, I meant a lot. I felt Sarah pull me into a hug and I returned it, glad for the physical contact. I was relieved that she was able to forgive me, even though I knew that I didn't quite deserve it.

"There, there," she said soothingly, as I cried on her shoulder.

Eventually, my crying came to an end and I took a deep breath to regain my composure. I looked past Sarah and saw Lucy standing from afar waiting for the both of us. I stood up slowly and said, "Thanks, Sarah. I really needed that."

She looked at me with her big amber eyes and smiled. "You're welcome!"

I extended my arm and she took it. Both of us walking towards the rest of my guildmates.

"What were you guys doing?" Lucy asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Nothing much. Just talking about stuff. Isn't that right, Sarah?"

"Yup!" she exclaimed happily. "Just talking to my big _brother_."

I stopped for a moment before I decided to just roll with it. If she wanted to call me big brother, I wasn't going to stop her. Plus I always wanted a little sibling.

"Anyways," Lucy continued. "We noticed a village some way from here while you two were talking. Natsu and the others went ahead to see if they had any food."

A village? Why did that sound a little too familiar…

* * *

While on our way to meet up with everyone, we stumbled across Natsu, Gray, and Happy on the outskirts of the little village. It seemed they were picking mushrooms or something… maybe I was hungrier than I thought.

"Hey guys," I shouted getting their attention. "What are you doing?"

"Well, Erza said that we can't eat any of the food in the village because no one was around," Happy explained. "So she told us to go scavenge for some food outside."

"Yeah, that's right," Gray confirmed, between mouthfuls of shrooms.

Seeing him eating the mushrooms, I looked around the area that we were in and noticed the absurd amount of them everywhere. Although that was surprising, what was even more so was the fact that not a single one of them were similar in appearance.

"Are you guys sure that these mushrooms are safe to eat?" Lucy asked.

Natsu waved her concern. "Of course they are," he said confidently. It was almost believable until what he said next. "I mean we're eating them right now, aren't we?"

"That's not what I meant…" Lucy said depressingly before she sighed and addressed me. "Well, at least I know you're sane enough not to eat one of those. Right, Nate?"

"Holy shit, these things are delicious!" I exclaimed as I munched happily on a handful of mushrooms. "You've got to try these, Lucy! They're amazing!"

"Are they really that good?" Lucy asked, as she too picked up a mushroom.

"Oh yeah," Natsu said through another mouthful. "Although they are leaning a bit to the small side. Though I'm sure if I eat enough of them, I'll get full sooner or later."

After that, I'm not sure what exactly happened. I just remember my throat closing up suddenly and my vision blurring, and the next thing I know I saw that both Natsu and Gray had mushrooms growing from their heads. Weird…

Sarah started to giggle. "Big brother has a mushroom growing from his head!"

I paused at that and reached up to touch the top of my skull. Instead, I was met with something soft and squishy. I pulled out my phone and looked at the reflection.

Sure enough, I had a large mushroom growing on the top of my head. It wasn't anything like Natsu's and Gray's, in fact, it was far more normal that I was expecting it to be, aside from the green of course. Though it didn't make it any less funny.

I started to laugh uncontrollably. "This is the best thing ever! I've got a fucking mushroom growing out of my head!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"It isn't funny!" Lucy cried worriedly, watching us all with concern.

I sorta felt bad for making Lucy worry like that, but I was having too much fun to be thinking straight. "Hey, Natsu! Gray! Get over here!" I shouted excitedly.

The both of them curiously made their way over to me. "Yeah what is it, Nate?"

"Just get over here, we're going to take a picture," I replied happily.

"How?" Gray asked. "You don't even have a vision lacrima."

I grinned victoriously, waving my phone in front of their faces. "I don't need a vision lacrima when I've got this!" I said proudly, holding it up so that I got both Natsu and Gray in the photo with me. "Now just smile for the camera!"

Once I'd taken the photo, I showed it to both Natsu and Gray, much to their astonishment. Get this though, after they got over their initial shock, they started to argue about who's mushroom was bigger. Can you believe it?

"Hey guys, look I found a big one," Happy shouted, as he carted over the largest mushroom I'd ever seen. I mean seriously, it was at least three feet tall.

"Wonder how it tastes?" Sarah mused.

I licked my lips in anticipation. I mean… it looked quite good.

"Who cares!" Natsu pointed out. "All that matters is how big it is!"

"Yeah, one of these could probably last us two days," Gray interjected.

Lucy just made a face at the mushroom. "How about we hold off on eating any more of these mushrooms today," she suggested forcefully.

Of course, Happy just ignored her and took a bite out of the thing.

That set Lucy off. "After all this, you still shove one of those things in your mouth as if it's no big deal!" she cried, squishing the exceed's cheeks. "Spit it out! Spit it out _now_!"

Through his squished mouth, Happy managed to get out the words, "But it's yummy," before he too started to choke and a mushroom popped out of the top of his head.

"Hmm, guess this happens to everyone who eats these things," I mumbled to myself.

Before anything else could be said, a deep rumble could be heard from the direction of the village. I looked up in slight worry. "What was that?" I asked.

Natsu looked up. "I don't know, but it seemed to be coming from the village."

"Do you think that Erza and Master Makarov are fine?" I continued.

"How about we go find out," Gray suggested.

While the others left for the village, I stayed behind for a bit to grab a few handfuls of mushroom. I thought that they would be great for pranks!

Though this didn't go unnoticed by Sarah, who stared at me with curious eyes. I raised a finger to my lips in a 'keep this a secret' motion. She smiled and mimicked my actions.

By the time Sarah and I caught up, I noticed that the mushrooms present on Natsu and Gray's head were no longer there. I checked mine and was glad to see that it was gone. Even though it was a pretty cool gag, I didn't want one of them for the rest of my life.

Though I did notice that Happy still had his and was visibly upset about it. I decided to _not_ make a comment about it. "I've got a bad feeling about this place," I said warily.

"Yeah, I do too," Natsu stated, sniffing the air. Must have been a dragon thing.

"Let's keep on going. We still need to find Erza and the master," Gray reminded us.

We continued searching for the other two members of our guild, and it wasn't long until we found them, but by then we started to notice something was up with the village.

"Is it just me, or is everything starting to glow red?" Lucy asked.

"Nope, everything really is glowing red," I confirmed, watching _everything_ around us started to turn an unhealthy shade of crimson. "It's kinda creepy."

The temperature dropped and we all turned to Gray. "Get ready guys," he warned.

It seemed that he sensed something was wrong with this place, and I was ready to wholeheartedly agree with him… but why did this place feel so familiar?

Though before Natsu and Gray could start wrecking the place, Master Makarov stopped them. "No, wait! Don't do anything like that!" he said quickly. "We need to get to higher ground! There's something that I need to check!"

Erza backed him up. "You heard the master! Let's go, and try to stay close!"

After that, we made our way up the nearest cliffside and looked down at the village.

What we saw made me freeze in fear and realization. " _Alive_ ," I whispered.

Master Makarov looked at me. "So you know of this sort of magic," he replied.

I nodded my head slowly. How could I have forgotten about such a deadly magic? Stupid. If it weren't for the master, we could have all been hurt… or even worse, killed.

"I see," Erza said, gaining our attention. "So it was a magic circle."

Master Makarov nodded his head. "That's right. There were lines carved into the ground around the village to create a massive magic circle," he stated. He then glanced towards me curiously. "And as Nate said, this magic is known as _Alive_."

"A form of sealing magic that was forbidden years ago," I continued.

"Then why would these villagers use such a spell?" Lucy asked.

Erza placed an arm on Lucy, who was spooked by the sudden contact. "It's because this village was the home of a dark guild," she replied, astonishing all of us. "While investigating I came across a collection of magical tools hidden behind an illusion. Upon further inspection, I learned that those tools were used to practice black magic."

"That still doesn't answer my question about the forbidden magic," Lucy said.

This time I answered her question. "Well just think about it, Lucy. All the dark guilds are more or less after the same thing. Power. They'd probably be willing to do anything to get it. Even unleash a forbidden magic…"

"But…" we all turned to Master Makarov. "There's one thing that these dark guild members have done that we should be grateful for."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" Natsu asked.

The master's eyes were focused solely on the creatures below. "They've provided us with something extremely valuable. Something that only we could be able to appreciate."

 _GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE!_

"And that would be food!" the master exclaimed brightly.

I felt something prickle the back of my neck and I turned around. It seemed that at the mention of the word food, Natsu, Gray, and Erza all leaped straight into battle. Damn, they must have been really, really hungry to consider eating that _thing_.

While the three of them, plus Lucy, went off to fight the serpentine monsters, I stayed back to keep an eye on Sarah alongside Master Makarov. In other words, I hadn't a single idea of how I could contribute to this fight without magic. I would just be dead weight.

"So I assume that you don't know how to use magic?" Master Makarov asked.

It was like he read my mind. "More like I'm not sure if I can," I replied with a sad, yet envious smile. I was watching the fight below. "I would be hardly surprised if I couldn't."

He looked at me again with a curious gaze but didn't say anything more.

We watched together as the fighting continued, with Sarah pointing out really cool things that either Natsu, Gray, Erza, or Lucy did… well her spirits anyways. Needless to say, I was envious of what they were capable of. Maybe if I had magic…

I banished that thought from my mind, knowing that it would do me no good, and focused my attention on the fight. I was glad to see that it was already over and that everyone had made their own variation of a monster 'dish'.

Master Makarov, Sarah, and I made our way down to the others.

Once we reached them, Erza immediately tried to offer a piece of her monster 'dish' to both Lucy and I, which we both refused to eat until she had some. Which she then proceeded to take a bite and kept ahold of the best poker face I'd ever seen. She offered again.

Remembering how bad these things really were, I refused once more, but Lucy reluctantly gave into her stomach and grabbed the piece in Erza's outstretched hand.

She bit into hers, as did Natsu and Gray. "Gross!" they all exclaimed.

After that, it kind of all went to shit. Relatively speaking.

First Natsu and Gray started to yell at Master Makarov, then Lucy started to whine at Erza, and then everyone finally took notice of Happy who happened to have been riding a demonic chair for the entire fight. Oh, and his mushroom _finally_ fell out.

Of course, Happy got upset about us not helping him out, but honestly, I and everyone else had thought he had been fooling around… guess he hadn't been.

Just then the ground started to rumble again. "Don't tell me that there's more of these things," Natsu groaned in annoyance. It seemed there were.

At Natsu's words, I recalled what was going to happen next and swore under my breath. "Fuck! Everyone clear away from here, we've got to get back to-" I was cut off when the ground crumbled from underneath all of us. I was late _again_ … some use I was.

I looked down at the pit of serpentine creatures as we fell closer and closer to them. Was this the end for me? It wasn't exactly the way I thought I'd die.

I looked back up to the rest of my friends, hoping to at least say goodbye to them before we reached our inevitable death. Although our time together had been short, it was still something that I would cherish forever. Surprisingly, they were all unconscious.

I felt something latch onto my arm and I looked down into Sarah's terrified face.

My eyes widened in alarm and I faltered. How could I have been such an idiot? It wasn't just my life on the line here, but the lives of everyone else here. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Master Makarov, and Sarah. They were all depending on me.

But what could I do? I had my limits as well. I wasn't fucking superhuman.

I looked around in a frenzy, searching for anything that could help us get out of the situation we were in. Unfortunately, none that I could think of were capable to be achieved through conventional means. If only I had magic…

As we drew closer to the hideous abomination below, I sank further and further into the depths of despair. It wasn't fair! Everyone was going to die because of me! Because of me…

"I don't want to die," Sarah cried almost inaudibly.

And just like that, it clicked.

I felt something building up inside of me, flowing through every fiber of my being. It started up slow but began to quickly pass through my body like an open faucet. It was overwhelming for sure, but I fought through it for everyone. And on instinct, right when I felt the energy inside me reach its apex, I released it all in one fell swoop.

The results were almost instantaneous. One moment, we were all falling towards a pit of certain doom, and the next, we were all lying on the solid ground; albeit with a few dozen more people than I remembered falling into the pit with.

But that didn't matter. What did though was that everyone was safe.

I lay there with a distinct note of pride as I felt myself starting to fall unconscious.

It seemed that was happening a lot to me lately.

Then everything went black.

* * *

When I came back to, I found myself staring up at an angel.

She was smiling down at me with the sweetest smile. Her lovely silky white hair cascading down to her shoulders, and her beautiful blue eyes reflecting a kind and caring nature. I wasn't sure whether I was dead or not, but at the moment I was content.

Though that short, upward ponytail looked familiar…

Then reality hit me and I realized who it was. "Mirajane?" I asked.

Mira smiled. "Yes, that would be me," she replied.

I closed my eyes again and smiled gratefully. "And here I thought I was dead and an angel was coming to take me to heaven," I said with faux sadness.

She giggled. "Oh my, that's very sweet of you to say that," she said happily.

After that little exchange, which I believed I was only half conscious for, I wouldn't have said what I said otherwise… it would be too embarrassing; I looked around the room slowly and found that we were in Fairy Tail's guild hall infirmary. Well, at least I assumed it was.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, concern written all over my face.

Mira frowned. "I believe that it's been around eighteen hours," she informed.

At the number I was just given, I was taken aback. I'd been out for eighteen hours! What happened after I fell unconscious? Where was everyone? Why was-

 _GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE!_

And just like that, I remembered my stomach.

I think the last thing that I'd eaten were those mushrooms, and even then I only had a few handfuls. Plus that had been like what? Twenty hours ago? My stomach growled again.

"Are you hungry?" Mirajane asked, holding out a tray of sandwiches slices.

How thoughtful. I grabbed one of them slowly and bit into it. After that, I could safely say that Mira's cooking was possibly one of the best I'd ever tasted. If not the best.

As I was chowing down on the food that Mira provided, I think I'd eaten around eight sandwich slices, I heard the door open and I turned to see Master Makarov standing there. "I'm glad to see you are feeling much better," he said.

I smiled lightly. "Master," I greeted, holding his gaze.

"You gave everyone quite the scare once they'd woken up," he informed.

I frowned. "I'm sorry, I just… I don't know what happened."

He waved off my apology and walked up to me. His presence was reassuring. "It's alright, my child. None of us can blame you after you saved us all," Master Makarov stated.

I raised a brow. "So you were conscious when that happened?" I inferred.

Master Makarov nodded. "Indeed I was," he replied.

There was silence for a moment. "What was that then?" I asked.

He smiled. "Well, wasn't it obvious? It was magic of course," he said.

It took a moment for me to process what he said. "I can use magic?" I continued.

Master Makarov nodded. "And by the way Sarah described it, I believe it's nullification magic," he explained. "It's quite powerful if used properly, and manifests only in a select few."

I looked down at my hands and clenched them tightly. So I had magic after all...

For some reason, I felt myself tearing up. "Thank you for telling me about this, Master," I said gratefully. "I wasn't sure if it was alright for me to join Fairy Tail otherwise…"

After I said my few words and let out a few tears, I felt a hand grip my shoulder and I looked up at Master Makarov. "My child, even without magic we would have welcomed you with open arms. What you did in Oshibana and Clover Town… that alone proved that you had what it takes to be one of us," he said caringly. "And I mean that."

I didn't know what to say. "Thank you," I finally managed to get out.

Master Makarov just continued to smile, while his hand still rested on my shoulder.

Before the silence got too awkward between us, Mira spoke up, "Well now that you're an official member of Fairy Tail," she produced a stamp from within the folds of her dress. "You need a way to identify yourself as a Fairy Tail wizard. Where would you like your mark?"

I visibly gaped in awe of the stamp. It might have been a stupid thing to do, but it was just so exciting. That stamp would prove that I was a Fairy Tail wizard… and I was getting it right now! I tried to think of the best place to put it…

…And nothing came to my mind.

I looked over to Mira and Master Makarov as if to ask them for any inspiration. Sadly, they didn't provide an answer. Though my eyes remained on Master Makarov, maybe…

"Where'd you get your guild mark, master?" I asked seriously.

He just raised a brow at my question. "The center of my chest, child."

I placed a hand on my chin to think before I nodded firmly to myself. I turned to Mira. "I'd like my guild mark on the center of my chest," I said resolutely, pulling off my shirt.

Mira nodded her head with a smile, while Master Makarov stared at me. I think I saw a bit of mild amusement in his eyes. "There we go," Mira said, as she pressed the stamp against my chest. "Now you're an official member of the Fairy Tail Guild!"

I looked down at the mark on my chest with something akin to pride. This was what proved to the world that I was a Fairy Tail wizard. It was so awesome! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a part of this crazy guild.

Unfortunately, my little moment of awe was cut short when Levi ran into the room. "Master Makarov! Master Makarov! The Council messenger that came by earlier to arrest Erza left this here for you," she said, holding out the papers.

"Hmm, what is this?" Master Makarov asked, grabbing the papers from Levi's proffered hands. "What does the magic council want from us this time?"

Levi frowned. "I don't know exactly, but she said that this had something to do with both Oshibana Station and Clover Town," she replied briskly, before leaving the room… she probably knew exactly what those papers were about.

Master Makarov tensed up before he let out a defeated sigh. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. Those brats bring me no end of trouble," he grumbled miserably.

I glanced curiously at the papers in his hand. "Are those property damage papers?"

Before Master Makarov could answer my question, the door opened again and Sarah stepped into the room. When she saw me awake, she more or less threw herself at me. "Big brother, you're awake!" she exclaimed happily.

I chuckled and hugged her back. "Yeah, I'm good now. Just needed some rest."

After she had hugged me for a few seconds, Sarah pulled back and glared at me. Something which I was not expecting. "Promise me that you won't do something like that again," she said sternly, though I could see her eyes watering. I felt guilty, but…

"Yeah, I promise," I said quietly, ruffling her hair. "I swear I won't do anything when I see all my friends and family about to die. Otherwise, how could I forgive myself?"

She frowned at that. "That's not what I meant…"

I laughed again. "Honestly, I'll try not to get myself killed"

Sarah seemed okay with that answer and nestled into my side.

I was surprised by the sudden action, but after a moment, I pulled her in.

"Oh aren't they just adorable, master?" Mira asked joyfully.

Master Makarov nodded. "Indeed they are," he replied, "And as much as I hate to interrupt their little reunion, I've still got some business to deal with Nate."

I gave the master a sideways glance. "And what's that?"

"This," he said, holding up an envelope. He threw it and it landed on my lap.

I slowly picked up the envelope and carefully opened it. I pulled out its contents…

"Two hundred thousand Jewels?" I asked incredulously, sifting through the paper currency. I couldn't believe the amount of Jewels. "Are you giving this to me? Why?"

"Well, it wasn't just me," Master Makarov started. "The guild masters of almost every guild present at the conference hall only felt it was appropriate to supply you with payment for your actions. You saved a lot of important people, child."

He looked me in the eyes with a smile. "You should be proud of yourself."

I stared at the money in my hands greedily. With this, I could… I started to tear up again.

Master Makarov smiled. "Now, now, child. There's no need to cry-"

I interrupted him before he could go any further. "No, you don't understand," I stated knowingly, holding up the paper currency. "With this money, I can buy a cake!"

I'm pretty sure everyone in the room at that moment thought I had gone insane.

…But who cared? At least I was going to live to see another day.

* * *

As it turned out, I was going to live to see another day even without the money.

The reason for that being was that Erza had been arrested earlier when I was still in la-la land. Unsurprisingly, Natsu had decided to break Erza out all by himself and had used Macao as a diversion. I wasn't going to deny it, I actually forgot that that was going to happen.

"Hey, big brother? Are you alright?" I looked down at Sarah. She seemed worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, throwing her a confused look. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well… you've kinda been smiling for the past ten minutes. It's getting kind of creepy."

Had I been? I guess I had gotten so wrapped up in my thoughts that I let it show physically. I stopped smiling. "Oh, I was just thinking about something," I stated.

"Okay then…" Sarah said. She started to look around. "By the way, what are we doing?"

I hummed to myself. "We're looking for a place to stay of course."

Currently, the both of us were walking along the canals of Magnolia Town searching for a place to rent out. We'd been out and about for a few hours now, and after a bit of searching, we finally found the perfect place. "What do you think about this place?" I asked Sarah.

She looked up at the building I was pointing at and nodded her head in approval.

It was a nice building and all, but the real reason why I chose that building of all the places we'd visited earlier was that of the location it was in. Which just so happened to be right next door to a certain blonde celestial wizard's apartment.

With Sarah's approval, we walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds of waiting, a man stepped out and stared at the both of us. "Good evening, children. May I help you two?" he asked politely, looking at the both of us.

I nodded. "I want to rent the apartment that you have for sale."

He stared at me seriously. "I hope you know that the rent won't be cheap."

I nodded again. "How much Jewels will it be a month?"

"The rent would be 85,000 Jewels per month," the man replied.

"Can we see the inside first?" I asked.

"Of course you may," he said, ushering us inside.

When we entered the building, the first thing that I noticed was the door to the left and the staircase. The man explained that the door led to his place, while the staircase led to what would soon be my place. "You'll be living upstairs," he said, handing us a set of keys.

When we reached upstairs, we entered a room that was pretty ordinary. It was a large room that consisted of two beds pushed up against the walls, a desk pushed up between the two beds and a wardrobe placed in the free corner of the room.

There were also two doors that led off towards the bathroom and the kitchen. The bathroom was a three-piece, consisting of a bath, a toilet, and a sink, while the kitchen contained a fridge, an oven, a stove, and a table complete with four chairs.

Although there was a lot of stuff already occupying the room, there was still a lot of space left for the buyer to furnish the place the way they wanted to. Overall, I was impressed with the place. I thought that it was totally worth every Jewel dropped on it.

So what do you think of the place, Sarah?" I asked.

She beamed at me. "It's very pretty," she said happily.

"I think we'll take it," I told the man who walked in with us. I pulled out my envelope and withdrew the appropriate amount of paper currency. "Is it alright if I pay you right now, sir?"

The man took the money from my proffered hand. "Yes you may, but just remember that your dues will be at this time next month," he reminded, opening the door to leave.

"Of course, sir. I wouldn't expect anything else," I replied.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Please just call me, Liam," he stated.

"Well then, thanks, Liam," I said, showing my gratitude.

He nodded and then left us, going downstairs and probably to bed.

When he left, I looked around the room in delight. After everything that we'd been through, I was finally going to get a good night's rest. But before that…

I wrinkled my nose. How long has it been since I had taken a bath?

"Hey, Sarah," I said, bringing her attention to me. "I'm going to go take a bath now. I won't take that long, and I expect you to take one once I'm out, okay?"

She just nodded her head and walked around the room, exploring the place.

I smiled at that and walked into the bathroom. When inside, I turned on the bath faucet and stripped off my belongings, looking at them in disgust. I needed a new set of clothes.

After that, I stepped into the bath and sat down, letting the hot water soothe my aching body. It felt good to just relax after all that action for the past couple of days.

I looked up at the ceiling of the bathroom and sat there with just my thoughts.

Since my arrival in this world, I'd noticed two changes. The incident with Kageyama and Natsu on the train, and the magic, _Alive_ , in the Clover Canyons. Both of which should have been resolved without my intervention.

…So why weren't they?

The only plausible reason that I could come up with was that with my sudden appearance in this world, I'd caused those events to unfold differently. Essentially creating a ripple effect with just my mere presence as the trigger.

And if that were true, that meant a lot more surprises in the near future…

…Which in turn, meant that much more preparations.

I smirked. "And I know just where to start," I said to myself.

Realizing that I'd been sitting in the bath for nearly fifteen minutes, I climbed out and dried myself off. Slipping into my dirtied clothes for a lack of anything else to wear.

After that, I stepped back out into the main area of the apartment and was about to call for Sarah to take a bath, when I noticed her already fast asleep on one of the beds.

I walked over to the bed and crouched down beside her. She was breathing lightly and smiling in her sleep. She must have been having a good dream. I smiled as well.

I decided not to wake her and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

Afterwards, I sat down at the desk and pulled out the phone the R.O.B gave to me.

If I wanted to make sure that something like the incident back at the Clover Canyons never happened again. I needed to refresh my memories of Fairy Tail. After all, it had been at least three years since I'd watched the finale of the show.

I noticed a stack of paper on the desk, as well as a magic pen, and grabbed both of them. It was probably for the best that I wrote everything I read down.

I pulled up the wiki for Fairy Tail and started to nail down the main story arcs, writing extensive descriptions for them all. Next, I went into the more minor story arcs or fillers in that case. And after that, I started to write biographies for every plot-relevant character, protagonist and antagonist alike, as well as the core members of Fairy Tail.

When I finally put the pen down, I looked down at thirty pages of paper…

…I'd written a lot more than I thought I would.

I looked down at my phone and realized that a few hours had passed. It was already twelve o'clock in the morning. Jesus, I'd been writing for longer than I thought.

With that said, I made my way over to my bed and prepared to sleep. I wanted to be sure that I didn't miss Erza and Natsu's return from the Magic Council's prosecution. That would be when I made my first move.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up fairly late. That was if the sun shining on me was anything to go off of. I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes groggily.

I looked over at Sarah and noticed that she was still sleeping.

I decided to let her sleep in, as I was just going to go out quickly and buy some groceries and clothing. I mean I wasn't going to sustain myself off of just restaurant food, and I sure as hell wasn't going to be walking in the same clothes for more than a day.

I hopped out of bed and looked over at the papers still lying on the desk. I frowned.

Knowing that it was probably a bad idea to keep those sheets of paper just lying in the open, I took the time to hide them. A bit of searching and a lot of moving later, I found the perfect hiding place tucked into the wardrobe. It seemed a little convenient though…

I left Sarah a note for if she woke up and left the apartment.

When outside, I didn't really have any idea where I was going, so I just picked a direction at random and started walking that way. A bit of time passed, and I found myself in Magnolia's shopping district, which was a relief in and of itself. I started my shopping.

As I went from storefront to storefront, it occurred to me that with the sudden appearance of Sarah in my life, I wouldn't be able to go on any sort of job requests that required me to be away for more than a day. And that meant…

…I wouldn't be able to participate in a few of the larger story arcs.

Although I understood that I had made a commitment the day I decided to adopt Sarah and that I was _fine_ with not taking part in some of the larger story arcs, it didn't make me worry any less about the future potential changes that could happen while I wasn't there.

I sighed in defeat. "And the Galuna Island arc is just around the corner…" I said miserably. I continued to shop, a little bit saddened by the sudden realization.

After having bought almost all the groceries, I was in the middle of browsing through some shirts in a clothing store when something outside caught my eye. More like someone…

Knowing that I wanted to get a word in with the person, I bought the stuff that I had picked out already to the front counter and told the cashier to hold it for me. I also left my groceries with him and a few thousand Jewels to show that I wasn't bluffing.

I walked outside and made my way across the road. Walking up beside someone who was browsing through lacrimas at a stand, though of which variety? I had no idea.

Not wanting to seem that obvious, I started to peruse the lacrimas as well. I then learned that they were of the music variety. Should have figured with this person, right…

After a long silence between the both of us, which I was using to work up the courage to do what I was about to do, I broke it. "Damn, just can't ever find the right song. You know what I mean?" I asked, looking over at my target.

Laxus looked over at me in disinterest. "I guess."

"And here I thought that I'd finally be able to find some good hits."

"Try _The Legends_ ," Laxus recommended. "They've always got something good."

When he said that, he pulled out a single lacrima from the dozens on display and offered it to me. I grabbed it from his hand. "Thanks for the recommendation!"

"No problem," he said, before going back to his browsing.

I frowned. I really wasn't getting much from this guy… didn't mean I was going to stop trying. "By the way, my name's Nate," I introduced enthusiastically. "What's yours?"

He looked up in mild annoyance. "Laxus," he introduced reluctantly.

I put on a look of faux surprise. "No way! As in _the_ Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail?"

Laxus' whole attitude towards me changed. "Oh, so you've heard of me?" he asked

I nodded my head vigorously. "Of course I have!" I said enthusiastically, eyeing a set of matte black magical headphones. Boy, they looked good. "Who hasn't heard of Laxus Dreyar? I mean, you're the grandson of Makarov Dreyar!"

"Grandson of Makarov Dreyar, huh," he said spitefully. "Is that how it is?"

I nodded. "Well, yeah! Your grandpa's famous! He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"

From his frown, I could tell that I had hit a sore spot. But then again, this was why I'd come up to talk to my fellow Fairy Tail wizard. Not that he knew that though.

From what I could tell, it seemed that Laxus didn't like being known for his grandpa's strength and wanted to be recognized for his own. It was admirable and understandable. The only problem was, he took it the wrong way in the story…

…This time I planned on changing that. Starting this very moment.

"But you know…" I continued after a moment. "A wizard's reputation doesn't need to come from family alone."

While the blonde wizard mulled over my words, I picked up the set of headphones. "As a matter of fact, I'd say it comes more from their ability, as a wizard and a person." I supplied, handing over a few dozen notes of Jewels to the seller.

I looked over at Laxus, as I placed the magical device around my neck. It was a snug fit. "Some people might think that if they're born into fame, that's all they'll ever be famous for," I explained seriously. "Of course, that'd be where they're dead wrong."

A quick glance at the lightning wizard showed me that he was listening intently. "Although a large shadow is cast over them, it doesn't mean that light can't reach. All it takes is one accomplishment to offset that source of light."

It was then that I looked directly at Laxus. "Although it's true that your grandpa is a Wizard Saint and extremely famous. It doesn't mean that he has to be your claim to fame. Don't be consumed by the legacy that your grandpa wrote…"

I began walking away from the stall. "...Write your own."

After that, I left Laxus with his thoughts and went back for my groceries and clothing. I spent maybe another thirty minutes or so clothing shopping, before walking home.

I was really glad that I got the chance to talk with Laxus when I did, as I wasn't sure whether I'd have the time when Natsu and Erza returned. Not exactly the sanest of people…

Although I was sure that my words weren't going to avoid the whole 'Battle of Fairy Tail' arc. I was pretty sure that it would at least lessen the casualties… and if possible, keep Laxus from being exiled. Though the chances of that were _very_ low.

I arrived back home to find Sarah awake and drawing on some of the spare sheets of paper that were excluded from my wrath the night before. When she saw me she smiled, but quickly went back to whatever it was she was drawing.

I smiled and started to put away the groceries, only taking out what was necessary to make for breakfast. I was planning on making something simple. Perhaps pancakes?

I pulled out the butter, eggs, flour, milk, and sugar that I had just bought, and turned on the stove. I mixed together the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, before combining the two of those. After that, I started to flip my fluffy sugary flat cakes of goodness.

Once I was done, I called Sarah over to eat. "Hey, Sarah! Come eat!"

"Coming!" she called back, probably still drawing.

I set the table and placed the pancakes in the middle of it.

After a moment, Sarah came into the room and showed me what she drew.

I wasn't going to lie, it was probably better than anything that I was capable of drawing. It was actually pretty good for a six-year-old. What she drew, in great detail might I add, was Natsu, Gray, and Erza beating the shit out of Lullaby.

"Wow, this is amazing," I exclaimed. "Did you draw this?"

Sarah beamed at me. "Yeah, I did. Do you like it?"

I didn't really have words, so I just nodded my head.

Sarah seemed okay with that and hugged the picture against her chest, before grabbing a few pancakes onto her plate and chowing down. I passed her the maple syrup.

We ate breakfast slowly with very pleasant side conversations, and by the time we were done, it was already twelve o'clock in the afternoon. I decided that it was probably best if we finished with the clothing before heading out to the guild hall.

I'd bought clothing that I knew I liked for myself, but when it came to Sarah, I wasn't exactly sure what she liked. So I just bought a bunch of different outfits for her to try out.

As it turned out, Sarah was a very picky clothes person. If it weren't for the fact that I was able to return all of the clothing, I was pretty sure I would have been down tens of thousands of Jewels. Thankfully, one of the dozens of outfits I had picked, piqued her interest.

"I like these ones," Sarah said, holding a lilac sundress and a pale pink open sweater.

I sat back down with a groan. "Remind me next time to take you shopping _with_ me," I asked. I wasn't willing to go through this again. "I'll need you to pick your own clothing."

"Okay," she said happily, not understanding my exhaustion.

After Sarah had put on her new clothes, as did I, I swapped my dirtied shirt and pants for an olive t-shirt and a fresh pair of jeans, we headed out to the guild hall. Hopefully, we didn't miss anything too important while we were settling in Magnolia.

Sadly, I was still getting used to the streets in this town, so we didn't get to the guild hall until an hour or so later, which likely meant that I wouldn't be able to go on a job. I was kinda saddened at that, but I knew that I would have plenty of opportunities later on.

As we neared the guild hall, I was disappointed to hear a lot of raucous noise. It seemed that we had missed Mystogan. Which was unfortunate, as I was really looking forward to meeting him. He was one of my most favorite characters in the story after all.

When we entered the guild hall, we were immediately greeted by everyone. I was almost certain that everyone said hi to me at some point, which was a feat in and of itself. There were at least a hundred people in the room. I also noticed at some point that Sarah had walked off to play with Romeo and… I believe that was Wakaba's daughter? I wasn't too sure.

"Hey, Nate! What's up?" Natsu exclaimed from across the room.

"Nothing much," I replied, walking up to him and Lucy. Though Happy was nowhere in sight. Which most likely meant… "How about you two? Go for an awesome job today?"

"No, we didn't," Lucy said with a dramatic sigh. "And rents due in a week."

Natsu grinned at me. "What about you? Planning on taking any dangerous jobs now?"

Even though I told myself that I wouldn't be able to take on any of those jobs due to my responsibilities as Sarah's guardian. It still was still disheartening to know that I wouldn't be able to do that kind of stuff until she grew old enough to take care of herself.

I expressed this to Natsu. "Unfortunately I can't," I replied.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, confused.

I looked over at Sarah. "It's complicated," I said sadly.

Natsu followed my gaze and frowned, but didn't say anymore.

After that, the conversation moved away from job requests and onto gossip, among a few other things… but mostly just gossip. I liked to hear all the juicy stuff.

Though just when Natsu was telling us about how much of a 'man' Elfman had been back in the day, someone had come up behind us, and by the way that he started to quiver in fear, I assumed it was Erza. I turned around.

Sure enough, it was her. "Hey, Erza," I greeted warmly.

"Good afternoon, Nate," Erza greeted back. "I'm glad to see that you're fine with what happened back in the Clover Canyons. We were all really worried about you."

I smiled. "I'm glad to hear that," I said truthfully. "It means a lot."

She just nodded and took a seat with us. I've got to say it was kind of awkward for the first few minutes, but after Natsu adjusted to Erza's presence and was able to form cohesive words again, the gossip slowly picked up right where it left off.

A few moments of the conversation, I couldn't help but notice Erza's eyes were on me. I tried to ignore it, but eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore and confronted her about it. "What is it, Erza?" I asked, pulling my attention away from Natsu and his stories.

When she learned that I noticed her staring, she immediately went straight to the point. Quite literally. "You owe me a slice of strawberry cake," she stated plainly.

I panicked slightly, before remembering that I had the money to pay for it.

I got up from my seat. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back in a moment," I called out, before turning to Natsu. "Just don't get to any of juicy stuff before I come back, alright?"

Natsu nodded before he went back to conversing with Lucy and Erza.

With that, I walked over to the bar in order to buy the redhead her strawberry cake, which I, in fact, found pretty odd. "Uh, can I get a slice of strawberry cake?" I asked politely.

Mira laughed but went in search of the cake. "Already owe Erza?" she asked knowingly.

I chuckled. "Yep," I replied shamelessly.

"Can I inquire what for?" Mira asked curiously.

I smirked. "It was for her to rest and let Gray drive the magic mobile."

"Well, that's Erza for you," Mira said with a nostalgic smile. "She's always been stubborn."

I snorted but nodded along. "Yeah, I can definitely see that," I admitted.

A moment later, Mira placed a slice of strawberry cake on the counter in front of me. "Thank you," I said instinctively, pulling out my envelope. "How much will that be?"

Mira continued to smile. "It's on the house. Think of it as my welcoming gift for you."

I frowned at first but smiled gratefully afterward. I learned that it was better to just accept the gifts that were given to you, otherwise, you might just end up hurting someone's feelings.

I grabbed the slice of cake. "Thanks again, Mira," I said, as I walked away.

"No problem," she said, before going back to her chores.

After that, I walked back over to Natsu and the others. Or at least I would have if it weren't for someone bumping into me and dropping the cake I was holding.

I stared at the cake in horror and then up at whoever bumped into me. It was Loke.

"Hey, watch where you're going," he said. "You almost ruined my jacket."

Ignoring him for a second, I turned to Erza… she had been watching.

I froze, before grabbing Loke's arm. "You better start running. You're dead otherwise."

He just stared at me in confusion. "What do you mean I'm…" he looked down at the strawberry cake on the ground. "...dead otherwise," he finished quietly.

It was as if the whole guild hall quieted down for whatever was going to happen next.

We all looked over to Erza, who seemed to be trembling. Loke paled.

I'm not quite sure what happened next. All I remembered was Erza knocking the shit out of Loke, then Natsu challenging Erza to a fight, after that Elfman trying to stop the two of them, followed up by many other smaller events that I could barely keep up with.

I just stood there in the center of it all, unable to move in fear of getting caught up in the action. "I'm not going to bother trying to understand what just happened," I said with a sigh.

"You'll get used to it," Lucy said from behind an overturned table. "I know I have."

And oddly enough, I found myself believing every word.

* * *

"Wow, Nate." Lucy exclaimed. "I didn't know you lived right next door."

I smiled. "Yeah, what a coincidence," I said _sincerely_.

"Well, if you ever need anything just hop on by anytime. I'm sure I can help in some way." Lucy offered, before heading to her apartment. "Anyways, I'm off to bed. I need to get a request done for my rent tomorrow. So, goodnight Nate, goodnight Sarah."

I waved goodbye. "Night, Lucy," we called out, before heading inside our place.

Once inside, I turned to my adopted sister. "So, did you make any friends?"

Sarah smiled. "Yeah, I did! I made two of them," she said with pride.

"Really, now?" I asked, having a good idea of who they were. "Who were they?"

"One of them was Romeo. He's Macao's son," Sarah replied, before frowning. "But for the other, I'm not sure. She was too shy to actually tell us her name."

I nodded anyway. "Well, I'm glad that you've made some friends."

"Me too!" she said happily.

After that, I made Sarah take a bath, as she hadn't taken one yesterday, before tucking her in for bed. Unfortunately, before I could leave Sarah to sleep, she grabbed ahold of my arm. I turned to her in confusion. "What is it, Sarah?" I asked.

"Can you sing me a song?" she asked.

That took me by surprise. I wasn't ready to hear that.

Sarah smiled sadly. "My mommy used to always sing me to sleep."

God, this girl really had her way with my heart, but then again, it wasn't as if this was intentional. I sighed. "Alright, fine. But only one song," I said firmly.

She nodded her head as much as she could lay down, tucked under her blanket.

I placed a hand through my hair, as I tried to think of a song. Eventually, a classic from a Disney film came to mind. I took a deep breath and started to sing the song.

" _Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes_ ," I sang lightly, watching as Sarah's eyes drooped. " _Rest your head close to my heart. Never to part, baby of mine._ "

I continued to sing. " _Little one when you play. Don't you mind what they say,"_ Her eyes completely closed? " _Let those_ _eyes sparkle and shine. Never a tear, baby of mine_."

Knowing that Sarah was close to sleep, I kept going. " _If they knew sweet little you._ _They'd end up loving you too. All those same people who scold you. What they'd give just for."_

By the time I'd finished the previous verse, she was already sleeping, but I continued nonetheless. " _The right to hold you. From your head to your toes. You're so sweet, goodness_ _knows. You are so precious to me. Sweet as can be, baby of mine._ "

When I finished, I could hear Sarah's light breathing and I knew for sure that she was asleep. I slowly pushed myself off the bed, careful not to wake her and made my way over to my own bed, ready to fall asleep after all that happened today. But…

 _KNOCK! KNOCK!_

I looked up at the door begrudgingly. Who was knocking at my door at this time?

Making my way over, I was ready to _politely_ ask the person at the door to leave so that I could get some shut-eye. Boy, was I surprised when I saw Lucy and Natsu.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked in astonishment. "It's almost midnight."

Natsu grinned. "We're here to take you on a job," he replied immediately.

I frowned. "At this time?" I asked in surprise. "It seems a little late to be doing so."

"That's what I said," Lucy mumbled sadly. Though for the most part she was ignored.

"Yeah, right now," Natsu said. "So let's go."

I didn't move though. "I can't," I said helplessly.

Lucy frowned. "You said the same thing before. Why can't you?"

I looked over my shoulder at Sarah's sleeping form and back at Lucy.

She seemed to understand what I was getting at, but her frown deepened.

I knew that I wasn't going to improve as a wizard if I didn't accept dangerous job requests, but at the moment, it was probably for the best that I didn't. After all, I couldn't just leave Sarah by herself when I went on jobs that lasted longer than a day.

Her well-being was the priority after all, and I wasn't going to jeopardize that so that I could go on some really, really awesome adventure with Natsu and Lucy…

Natsu snorted. "Is that all? Just shut up and get over here," he said with his ever present-grin. "We're wasting time just standing here and talking."

It was my turn to frown. "Didn't I just tell you that I couldn't," I said with mild irritation. "I can't just leave Sarah by herself for a few days. I'm pretty sure that's illegal."

Natsu continued to smile. "I know," he said knowingly. Though how? I wasn't sure. "That's why I got Sarah a babysitter earlier in the evening."

I was at a loss for words when those words came out of his mouth.

"Back at the guild hall," Natsu started. "When I asked you about taking on a dangerous request, you said that you couldn't and that it was complicated. I noticed that your eyes followed Sarah, and I assumed that the problem had something to do with her."

He continued. "One thing led to the next, and I found someone to babysit her."

I had to admit that I was impressed with Natsu's reasoning. Although he may have been an idiot most of the time; when it counted, he was an absolute genius.

After he finished saying his piece, he looked up with the largest smile.

"So are you coming, or what?" he asked.

At that moment, I realized what an amazing guild I had joined. I mean sure, people have done nice stuff for me in the past, but never had someone I'd known for less than three days gone out of their way to help me out. I was touched, to say the least.

Knowing my answer already, I returned Natsu's smile with my own.

"Hell yeah, let's go then!" I said excitedly.


	3. Chapter 3 - Galuna Island Part One

**Author Notes:**

Hey all,

This is Snail_Emperor and I'm here with the third chapter... man, it's been a long time since I last updated. Sorry for the delay, I was so caught up with school and family politics, I just never found the time to be able to write and upload. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter and don't forget to favorite, follow, and review. It's kinda what motivates me to write.

Happy Valentines Day, by the way! Living that forever alone life! :(

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 3 - Galuna Island Part One**

"For the last time Natsu," Lucy swore. "Nate and I aren't swimming to Galuna Island."

"I'm not even sure that's physically possible for us," I continued in agreement.

Natsu was practically on the floor, begging us to show him mercy. "Come on guys," he pleaded. "You know that I don't do well with transportation. Don't put me through this."

Although Lucy might have been sympathetic, I would have none of it though. "We're getting on a boat, Natsu. And that's final." I actually think he cried for a bit.

After that, we continued our search through the Hargeon port for a boat that would take us to Galuna Island, which unsurprisingly every sailor we came across refused.

"What's the deal with everyone?" Lucy asked as we walked away from another spooked sailor. "It's like they're all too scared to go near that island."

Happy spoke up. "Come on, Lucy. Maybe it's just the way you're asking everyone," he suggested seriously. "Why do you always try to expose your chest when you speak. It might make them uncomfortable and I don't think that they like that that much."

Lucy would have none of that though. "All men like that, you dumb cat!"

"I refute that statement!" I said loudly, drawing the attention of a few people passing by. "Just take Natsu and I for example. Do you see either of us staring at you lecherously?"

"Well, no. But you guys aren't exactly the typical man," she pointed out.

I paused. "Hmm," I thought, before continuing. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

We continued to walk along the Hargeon port and after a few minutes, I saw the familiar sailor that would take us to the cursed island. I walked up to him. "Do you mind terribly if I bother you for a moment of your time, sir?" I requested politely.

The man looked up. "It's no problem," he said. "What do you need?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd take us to Galuna Island?" I asked seriously.

Bobo stared at me. "Galuna Island?" he said in confusion. "Don't know why you'd want to go there. No sailor in his right mind would take you if they valued their lives."

Natsu grinned. "Looks like we're swimming after all," he said.

"We're not swimming," Lucy fumed in irritation.

"Why not?" Natsu asked. "It builds up muscle, which you two could use."

"It's not happening, Natsu," Lucy exclaimed again.

I sighed. Honestly, they argued like an old married couple.

Just then, I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice call out. "I found you~"

"Gah," I shouted, as I flinched away from whoever it was behind me.

"Gray?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"What are you doing here," Natsu demanded.

Sure enough, when I turned around, I was met with the nudist.

He just looked at us with a dull expression. "Well, I'm here to take you back to the guild," he said obviously. "You're not qualified to go on S-class quests, and you especially shouldn't go with two new members of the guild. No offense, Nate, and Lucy."

"None taken," I chimed in, knowing full well that he wasn't wrong.

Gray continued. "If you come back now, you might avoid being kicked out of the guild."

At that, I noticed Lucy slump to the ground miserably, and frankly, I couldn't blame her. I know that I didn't want to be kicked out after everything I went through to join.

Even though I knew it would turn out fine, it still freaked me out.

"I don't care," Natsu said stubbornly. "I'm going on this S-class quest."

"Man, you really don't get it, do you?" Gray stated in fear. "If Erza finds out about this, she's going to be so angry. I don't even want to know what she's going to do to you guys."

When Gray mentioned Erza, almost all of us flinched again.

Happy flew over to the nudist. "Please, Gray. You've got to save me," the exceed started in a panic. Oh, he was not doing this to us. What a fucking traitor! "I told them that this was a bad idea, but they told me off and forced me to come along."

"You are such a liar," Lucy shouted back.

Natsu raised his fists. "I'm not going to back down from this!"

"Master ordered me to bring you back!" Gray stated. "I'll drag you back if I have to!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Natsu shouted back.

After that, they each drew on their own magic, ready to attack.

"Magic…" I heard Bobo mutter. He stood up. "Excuse me, but are wizards?"

I nodded my head. "Of course we are," I said, pulling out the request from a backpack I bought on the way here. "We're here to lift the curse on Galuna Island."

A glimmer of hope sparkled in Bobo's eyes. "Get in."

"What?" Lucy asked in surprise.

Natsu grinned. "Seriously?"

"It's not happening!" Gray shouted.

Before Natsu could knock the ice wizard out, I slung an arm over his shoulder and walked away with him. "Gray, Gray Gray. Don't be so irrational," I said mockingly. "You can't fight both Lucy and Natsu and expect to come out of that as the winner. That's just stupid."

"Oh yeah, then what should I?" he asked.

I grinned. "You're going to come with us, of course," I replied.

He quirked a brow. "And just why should I do that?"

"Just think about it," I started, holding his attention. "If we manage to finish this job request, that'd more or less make us S-class wizards. Haven't you always wanted that?"

Gray looked to be mulling the idea over in his head.

I continued. "And since I know how much you hate to lose to Natsu, well…"

He remained quiet and I knew I had him. I just needed one last push to convince him.

"Also this will probably take us longer without your cooperation," I said slowly. "And that'll probably mean more time for Erza to find out about this little _adventure_ of ours…"

"Alright, you've convinced me," he said quickly… very quickly. I smirked and he looked up with his own. "That was a cheap shot, Nate," he said.

"I know, that's why I did it," I replied with a knowing smirk.

Just then, Lucy called out from the boat. "What are you two talking about?"

I waved back. "Nothing much, Lucy. Gray's decided to join us on our S-class quest."

She was surprised but quickly accepted the fact. "Alright!" she shouted. "Bobo says that we're ready to go, so get back here and we'll set off!"

I nodded. "Alright, Lucy. We're coming back," I said.

We returned to them shortly after, and we set sail for our first S-class quest… well, my first job request in general.

* * *

As it turned out, it was going to be a long ride to the cursed island and would take us till night to reach it. During this time, I talked with Bobo trying to glean as much information on the island as possible. Even getting him to draw me a map of the place.

"Why are you so focused on the structures of the island?" Bobo asked me.

I hummed to myself, as I looked over the map. "I have a theory of what's happening to the people there," I said quickly, not taking my eyes off the paper. "You see that temple? Isn't that where their people used to worship the moon?" I asked.

Bobo nodded his head. "It was, but it's since been abandoned"

I nodded my head. "Also considering it was a temple devoted to the moon," I started, staring at the crude drawing. "It must have had an exceptional view of it, right?"

"It did," Bobo confirmed, staring at me in confusion. "What of it?"

"Well, when you take in the fact that the moon only seems to be purple on Galuna Island, as it isn't right now," I explained swiftly. "Then it's reasonable to assume that this curse isn't caused by the moon directly, but rather magic that feeds off of its light."

"Alright, that makes sense." he nodded. "But what of the temple?"

I grinned. "I believe that that's where the magic's originating from," I said.

"How can you be sure of that?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not," I confirmed. "But that's the only thing that comes to mind."

"That's still quite some theory," he stated, before giving his full attention to the rudder.

Seeing as he didn't want to continue talking, I left him to his own devices and started planning for the upcoming battles. Lyon, Sherry, Toby, Yuka, and Ultear. They were the ones that we were going to face, so we needed to be prepared.

Night fell soon after, and I knew that we were drawing nearer.

"Is it just me, or has it gotten a lot darker and scarier," Lucy remarked.

I shivered. "Yeah, I can definitely agree there. This place doesn't feel normal."

Bobo frowned. "That means that we're getting close," he confirmed, glancing at us in a serious manner. "Be ready for anything," he warned, before looking ahead again.

Well, that didn't make me feel any better. Gray frowned. "Hey, Bobo? How do you know so much about this place and the curse?" he asked. "I mean the way you talk about it almost sounds as if you've known this place for a long time."

He looked back at all of us, as all of our eyes were on him… except for Natsu's. He sighed. "If you must know, I used to be a resident of the island," he started.

"Really?" Gray asked. "Then you must know what the curse is."

Bobo nodded and pulled back his cloak. "This is what the curse brought upon us."

I wasn't going to lie, it looked bad… like really bad, but it wasn't scary. "So this is what's happened because of the curse? You've been _turned_ into a demon?" I presumed, sharing a knowing look with him. He seemed uneasy by my staring at him.

"Yes, yes I am," he finally got out. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I just couldn't take the curse anymore, so I left the island and started sailing across the ocean."

He looked down at his disfigured arm. "But I've always yearned to go back home, and now that I've found you people, the curse on our island can finally be broken."

There was absolute silence as all of us absorbed what Bobo had just said. I looked at Lucy and Gray, and they seemed to share my exact same thoughts. Could we really break the curse on Galuna Island?

Before we could think about that for too long. Bobo looked ahead. "We're here."

We all looked up, and sure enough, there was an island looming in the distance. It was too dark to make out any of the landmarks from where I was, but I knew that that was Galuna Island from the light emitting from the peak of the mountain.

"There's something shining up there?" Lucy pointed out.

"Yeah, but what is that?" Gray asked.

Happy drooled. "Maybe it's some kind of rare fish."

While Lucy, Gray, and Happy were captivated by the light on the island, I noticed Bobo unfurl his demonic wings and take to the skies, trying to leave undetected. Unfortunately for him, I knew that this would happen, and so I watched him go.

He looked back and was startled to see me staring up at him.

There was a long pause between us, in which a small smile slowly tugged at the corner of my mouth. I raised a hand in a thumbs up for Bobo to see.

He was surprised by my indifference to his demonic appearance but smiled back hesitantly all the same. He then flew off into the distance and out of sight.

I watched him go and just hoped he understood what I was trying to convey.

"What the! Where'd he go?" Lucy exclaimed.

I turned back to my guildmates. Seemed they noticed our guide was gone.

Gray frowned. "Did he fall overboard by any chance?" he asked.

"It's like he just disappeared!" Happy finished.

"I'm starting to regret going on this S-class quest," Lucy murmured.

"You and me both," Gray agreed with a shake of his head.

 _WHOOSH! WHOOSH!_

Lucy raised her head off the side of the boat. "What's that sound?" she asked.

At her mention, I became aware of a whooshing sound emanating from… behind us?

I looked back… and began to panic. "Gray! Lucy! Behind us!" I squeaked.

Both of them turned around at my voice and saw what I had been staring at with a mix of awe and fear, though mostly in fear. It was a behemoth. Or more appropriately the largest tidal wave I'd ever seen in my life. It had to be standing at least thirty feet tall.

Almost immediately my two _capable_ guildmates went into action. Well, Gray did at least. Lucy sorta just started screaming and begging for Happy to fly her out of there… without us by the way. So she was being just as useless as I was.

As the tidal wave drew closer, Gray placed a fist overtop his outstretched hand. "Ice-Make Frozen Tsunami!" he shouted, slamming both of his hands down into the ocean.

I had to admit, I was impressed with the almost instantaneous results. Save for a few drops of water that fell onto my face, the rest of the wave had been frozen solid.

I placed a grateful arm on Gray's shoulder, as he breathed heavily from the exertion. I whistled. "Damn, dude. You really saved us this time," I said slowly. "Thanks."

He nodded his head. "Don't mention it, we're part of the same guild, aren't we?"

I smiled gratefully at the offhand comment. Although it wasn't much, even hearing that made me realize how much everyone in Fairy Tail considered each other family. And as a family, it was totally okay to do what I was about to do.

I smirked mischievously and spoke up. "So… _Frozen Tsunami_?" I asked quietly.

"Oh shut it, Nate!" Gray demanded. I chuckled in earnest.

"But seriously, where did you come up with that?"

"I said shut it, Nate!" Gray yelled again.

I paused.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Frozen Tsunami," I snickered.

Gray shouted back, "Do you want to die!"

I was laughing my ass off by then. It was so easy to push his buttons.

Lucy just stared at us in blatant shock. "How can you two be joking around already! We were almost killed by that tidal wave just now," she said in a panic.

"Na, we were fine," I said with absolute confidence. "Even if we were hit with that tidal wave, we would have been swept to the island by the currents."

"And how can you be sure of that?" Lucy asked.

I smiled. "Just a gut instinct," I lied.

Not having anything to say to that, Lucy closed her mouth.

I clapped my hands together. "Good, now that that's dealt with. Does anyone know how to operate this boat?" I asked. "Because I'm completely lost with this stupid contraption."

Gray looked it over and nodded his head. "Yeah, I think I can handle this," he said. "It's similar to the magic mobile, except you feed magic into this sphere over here… at least I think that's how it works."

My smile faltered. "Alright, then let's go," I said.

With that, Gray started to gently steer us towards the shore, and we made it there without any further incidents, save for a few near dips into the ocean.

Once we reached land, we all hopped out of the boat and I began to stretch my stiff muscles from having sat down all day. "That was such a long ride," I complained with a groan.

"Yeah, no kidding," Gray agreed. "That was nearly the whole day."

"It's already dark out," Lucy added.

I looked up at the night sky and wandered it for a bit, admiring the endless expanse of twinkling lights before my eyes were drawn to the largest celestial body. The moon.

Now normally, I would just glance over it considering it was something that could be seen from anywhere in the world given the right time of day, but this one was different and captivated my attention. It was literally glowing an eerie shade of purple.

Lucy frowned. "Is it just me or is the moon glowing purple?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No it's not you, I see it as well."

Gray raised a hand to his chin. "Do you think that this might have anything to do with the curse?" he suggested.

I shrugged. "Maybe," I shrugged. "But I'd like to hear the villagers side of the story before we make any real accusations."

I snapped my fingers in remembrance and reached into my pocket. "Speaking of which, I think that we should find the village before we do anything else," I suggested, pulling out the map Bobo drew for me. "I would kinda like some sleep."

Both my conscious companions nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me," Gray affirmed. "Which way do we have to go, Nate?" he asked.

I pointed somewhere off to my right. "We've got to head that way," I said.

Lucy spoke up. "That's a cliffside, Nate."

I pointed again. "That way."

"That's out towards the ocean," Gray replied.

"Then it's that way," I pointed once more.

Happy replied this time. "That's, hmm… actually, that could be it."

I looked up from the map and looked at what Happy was staring at.

In between two trees, there was a little-worn path leading into the jungle.

"Alright, let's get going," I said, making my way towards the worn path. "And Happy can you grab Natsu? I don't think any of us could carry him for too long."

"Alright," Happy said before he moved back to the boat and latched onto Natsu.

Once all of us were ready to head out and we were sure we grabbed everything, we made our way into the dark jungle and away from the safe confines of the beach. "Be careful guys," I cautioned in a whisper. "We don't know anything about this jungle, so just try to stick to the very useless path," I said authoritatively.

Everyone voiced their own agreements and kept quiet as they didn't want to draw unwanted attention to themselves. Of course, that didn't last very long.

"So… Nate," Lucy started, though it seemed she was conflicted to continue.

I looked at her. "What is it, Lucy?" I asked.

"Well, I was wondering since we had the time if you'd tell me a little bit about yourself?" she asked with a smile. "Like where you're from and stuff like that."

I frowned. This wasn't something that I wanted to talk about. It would make me have to lie further about who I was and from where I was. Something of which I already had extreme difficulty doing. It wasn't as if I could just make this shit up on the spot.

I sighed. But I guess it couldn't be helped. "Well, if you must know, I'm not actually from Fiore," I started. I guess I could go with half-truths again. "I'm from a smaller country off the continent of Ishgar."

"Wow, really?" Lucy continued.

"Yeah," I replied. "It's a nice place. I kinda miss it."

"What's it like there?" she asked, as we continued to trudge through the jungle.

"Well, I guess the biggest difference would be the use of magic," I stated.

Lucy gave me a confused stare. "Mind explaining?" she asked.

I took a second to get together my thoughts, before continuing. "Well, you know how vision lacrimas are used to capture a scene?" I asked. They all nodded. "Well, where I'm from we don't require things like that, instead we've got these," I showed them my phone.

Lucy looked at it curiously. "You used that thing before back at the village in the Clover Canyons, didn't you?" she added. "It took a picture of you, Gray, and Natsu. How?"

I looked up to see her staring at me blankly. "Well, essentially this device works similarly to how a vision lacrima does," I explained, focusing the camera on Happy and a moaning Natsu in his paws. "First I decide on the image I want to capture and then I just snap it," I took the photo and showed her. "It's simple."

Lucy seemed completely fascinated by the contraption. "Even so, how does it function? Doesn't it need some source of energy?" she asked. "Like how magic mobiles require ethernanos to power em up."

"Well, you'd be right in most cases," I started. "But where I'm from, we've found alternative sources of energy. Such as petroleum, biofuels, natural gases, electricity-"

"Electricity?" Lucy interrupted. "How does that work?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't know all the intricacies," I said with a slight chuckle. "But if I had to simplify it, I'd say it's kinda like converting one source of energy into electricity to charge electronic devices such as this," I explained, holding up my phone once more.

Lucy just blinked at me. "That's a lot to take in," she added.

I shrugged. "I grew up with it, so it might just be easier for me," I replied. "But enough about where I'm from. I think we're about to lose Gray. We should pick up the pace."

"R-Right," Lucy said hastily, picking up her pace to match my own.

It was around an hour later when we found ourselves at a large wall made of sharpened logs and lashed together with rope and vine. It was impressive, to say the least.

I whistled. "That's quite the fortress," I said. "Wonder how long it took to make?"

"Who cares about that?" Lucy said grumpily. "Is anyone there to let us in?"

"Let's find out," I said, taking a deep breath and shouting, "Hey, is anybody there! We're wizards from Fairy Tail and we're here to lift the curse on your island!"

We waited for a moment before someone called back out to us. "Is that true?" they asked. "We didn't hear word of anyone accepting the job request!"

Gray smiled. "There must have been some sort of mix up!" he lied.

The voice called out again. "If that's true, show us your marks! All of you!"

I looked at both my guildmates and shrugged, pulling up my shirt to expose the mark on my chest. Both Gray and Lucy followed my lead and showed their marks as well.

"Holy shit, they're really here!" someone shouted from up above.

Another voice called out. "Alright, they've proven themselves. Open the gate!"

After that, the gate to the village slowly started to rise and the five of us made our way past the wooden wall and into the village. "Cool," I commented offhandedly.

When we stepped inside, the gate started to descend and we were met with a crowd of cloaked figures that had gathered to greet us. "Greetings, wizards," the lead villager said. "My name is Moka and I am the village chief. We are the ones that requested your help."

I stepped up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Moka," I said courteously. "I'm Nate, and these are my companions, Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy. We'd be glad to help you, but first I'd like a better look at what this curse is exactly."

Moka hesitated at my words. This wasn't something that people just showed freely. Don't worry, village chief," I continued earnestly. "My friends and I won't judge you or your people for what we might see. Frankly, I don't think that'd be very professional."

Although still hesitant, he seemed to ease up at my words and nodded. "As you wish, Nate," he bowed, before turning to address the villagers. "Please take off your robes, all of you! We have nothing to hide from these wizards! They will help us!"

The crowd, as Moka was, were hesitant to do so. Probably too ashamed to do so, but after they saw their village chief taking off his robe, they followed suit.

Horns, fangs, scales, and wings. If it wasn't in sight, they weren't a villager.

I wasn't nearly as fazed as I had been back with Bobo because I had already seen it, but it still sent shivers down my spine when put face to face with demons.

Before I could say anything though, a loud voice yelled out from behind, "Wow, that's so cool! You've got horns and wings! Just like a dragon! I wish I had those!"

I turned to Natsu, who seemed all right now, in utter disbelief. "You do know that these people are cursed and don't want to look like that?" I asked him seriously.

He frowned. "Why not?" he asked. "I mean they look good the way they are."

I just continued to stare at Natsu before Lucy grabbed my shoulder. "I suggest you just ignore him," she said. "It'll keep you saner than arguing with him."

I decided to take Lucy's advice and turned to Moka. "Can you continue?"

"Of course, Nate," Moka nodded. "As I was saying, the moon above us, the purple moon has cursed us and changed us into these hideous forms."

Gray frowned. "What makes you think that this is a curse?" he asked.

Moka shook his head. "What else could it be?" He asked in return. He looked up in despair. "Our changes only started to happen when the moon fell under an evil spell."

"A spell?" Lucy asked.

Moka nodded. "Ever since ancient times, this island has absorbed moonlight and glowed just as brightly," he reminisced. "However, some years ago, the moon started to turn purple and the island was bathed in an eerie purple glow."

"So the moon's turned purple?" Happy asked in redundancy.

I shrugged. "Seems like it," I said, waiting for Moka to continue.

"Although we may return to being human during the day," he continued. "Some of us don't ever change back and because of that we must kill them."

All of us stiffened. "What if they change back to normal someday?" Natsu asked, voicing my exact thoughts.

"If we wait for that to happen, one of us might be killed by the demon," Moka explained sadly, as he pulled a photo from within the folds of his clothes. "Once it takes a hold, there's no way to save them. I would know… I had to kill my own son."

Almost immediately I recognized the man in the photo.

I wasn't the only one. "But that's-" Lucy started.

I placed a hand on her shoulder and she glanced at me in confusion. I shook my head slowly. "Don't give him false hope," I whispered. "He's lost enough as it is."

Lucy frowned but said nothing more.

We all turned back to the village chief. "What is it you want us to do?" Gray asked.

Moka looked at us, "Please destroy the moon for us."

* * *

Destroy the moon…" Natsu mused. He grinned and turned to us. "Do you think it's possible?" he asked.

The ice wizard shook his head. "Unlikely," he replied. "No one is capable of traveling the distance between us and the moon. Not even gramps."

Natsu stopped smiling. "Then how are we supposed to complete this job?" he asked. "We'll ruin the Fairy Tail name if we don't."

Gray shrugged. "Who knows," he said lightly. "But we need rest to figure that out, so-"

"Actually, I think I might know what it is and how to fix it," I mentioned offhandedly as I set my sleeping bag on the wooden floor of the place we'd been given to stay.

"Really? You have?" Lucy asked in astonishment.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I think I have," I confirmed. "Though I'll explain it tomorrow morning. I'm too tired to think straight right now," I added with a yawn.

Everyone seemed fine with that and went back to getting ready for bed.

When I finished with my belongings, I laid down on my bedroll and closed my eyes. Ready to succumb to some blissful sleep.

"Hey, Nate? Can I talk to you for a second?"

I looked up to from what I was doing. It was Lucy. "Sure. What's up?" I asked.

"It's about the villagers," Lucy started.

I frowned. "You're talking about the killing, right?" I asked.

The blonde nodded. "I know what the village chief said makes sense," she continued. "But what they're doing, it's… it's just… just so-" she struggled to find the word.

"So inhumane?" I supplied with a grimace.

"Yes, exactly," Lucy agreed in exasperation. "So inhumane."

There was a pause in our conversation. One that was extremely melancholic.

"It's necessary," I finally said, scooting over for Lucy to take a seat.

She took up my offer and sat down beside me. "Yeah, I know," she said slowly. "I know the villagers tried everything before turning to killing… but why do I still feel like we could have saved them even with what they tried."

We sat side by side in silence as I tried to think of something to say… Though I wasn't having much luck. Everything I wanted to say was either depressing or otherwise downright depressing. God, I wasn't really good at this at all.

Eventually, I gave up on my thoughts and spared a quick glance at Lucy to see if she was waiting for an answer, but what I found instead was my own.

An outline of a smile graced my features. "You know, Lucy. I envy your tenacity," I started. She looked over at me in curiosity. "Even though it's clear there's no way of saving the villagers, you still don't want to give up."

I smiled. "It's admirable," I finished.

Another silence filled our conversation while Lucy processed what I had said.

She seemed like she was on the verge of replying to me, but I cut her off. "Anyways, we better get to sleep. We've got an early morning tomorrow."

"R-Right…" Lucy stuttered. "Thanks for hearing me out, Nate."

"No problem," I replied sleepily, as Lucy returned to her corner of the room.

Slumping down onto the warmth that my sleeping bag provided me, I relaxed my head into my arms, hoping to at least get some rest before the sun rose.

Unfortunately for I, that was easier said than done. I couldn't help but _notice_ that everytime that I was about to drift off to sleep, I'd be rudely awakened by either the snoring of Gray or Natsu. Honestly, I was wondering if I'd get any sleep at all!

Eventually, it came to me though, my companions' snoring subdued by my tiredness as I felt myself being lulled into a dreamless sleep.

"Wake up, everyone! We've got some exploring to do!"

And just like that, it was over. I groaned and opened my eyes, looking into Natsu's excited grin. Seemed like he was eager to start our job request.

"Okay, okay. I'm up, so get out of my face please," I said tiredly, as I tried to push him away. Unfortunately, he simply ducked out of the way and I struck at air.

I sat up groggily and looked outside through the window. What time was it?

As if psychic, Lucy replied from across the room, "The sun just rose so we should have ample enough time to follow up on whatever you think is causing this curse."

I nodded my head and rolled out from under my covers. Ready to actually begin the job request that we were given… well, the job request that we stole.

I dug through my belongings and pulled out some much more appropriate jungle wear that I had picked up before we left the Hargeon port. I quickly slipped out of my clothes from yesterday and into a gray t-shirt and camo cargo pants.

I joined up with the others outside, as they waited for me, and we were off.

"Alright then," Lucy started, as she turned to me. "Now that it's tomorrow, mind explaining what you believe the curse is and how we can fix it?"

I smiled. "Well, it's more of a theory, and a vague one at that," I mentioned, as we crossed underneath the gates of the village. "But I don't think that moon is the problem here. Rather it's being used as an amplifier for magic."

"What?" my four companions chorused in unison. "Are you for real?"

I nodded my head. "Someone's using the moon for magic. I'm quite sure of that," I said resolutely. "But for what reason? I'm not even sure myself."

"But wait," Gray interrupted. "What does this have to do with the villagers?"

"Almost everything," I mentioned, drawing the attention of even Natsu. "Some forms of magic are simply too powerful and because of that, there are obviously going to be side effects such as the one the villagers face now."

"Who would have thought," Gray said quietly. He was impressed.

I waved him off. "It's nothing special," I humbly replied. "I'm quite sure that Erza would probably think amongst the same lines. After all, she's S-class."

I wasn't disappointed with what came next. The glint in both Natsu and Gray's eyes were dangerous. Those of challenger ready to take on as many enemies as need be to become stronger in both the sense of physical and mental strength.

I grinned. Seemed their determination was everything Hiro visioned.

As we trekked further into the jungle, the sun rose higher into the sky. Which in turn meant that it got that much hotter. I started to sweat profusely from the unwavering and scorching heat. I needed some shade and some rest.

"Hey guys," I panted. "Can we take a break. It's getting really hot out."

Gray looked back at my weary form. "Sure," he replied. "I think a break would do us some good right now. We've been walking for a few hours already."

I fell down onto the ground. "Thanks," I said.

Though as I leaned back to rest, I banged my head against something hard.

I winced in pain and turned around. What I saw was one of Lucy's spirits, Horologium.

"' _Are you alright?_ ' she asks in concern," the grandfather clock asked.

I then took notice of Lucy sitting inside of her summoned spirit.

I waved her off. "Yeah, I'm good," I said.

Lucy looked at all of us as we lazed around. "' _Are we taking a break? Cause I could really use one. I think my muscles are a little stiff from sitting inside here for so long,_ ' she says happily," Horologium relayed for Lucy.

We all just stared at her. "Lazy," we chorused concurrently.

She frowned before speaking. Though it was Horologium who spoke for her, "' _I'm not lazy. The curse is just really freaking me out and I'm scared,'_ she says frantically."

"As it should," I replied immediately. "Though you can't let that stop you from facing your fears. Aren't you a Fairy Tail wizard?" I asked confidently.

She seemed troubled by my question and I awaited an answer.

She opened her mouth to speak and—

 _BOOM! BOOM!_

—We looked up. I gaped. "On second thought, you might want to stay inside."

"' _W-Why?_ ' she stuttered nervously," the grandfather clock conveyed.

Towering over Lucy was a particularly large monstrous creature. Its features shadowed by the sun that it was obstructing. It reared up on its hind legs.

"Maybe we should run for it," I suggested.

Gray stepped in front of us quickly. "We don't have time! Get behind me!"

"Ice-Make Shield!" the ice wizard shouted, as he erected a large cluster of ice shards between us and the creature.

And we braced for impact…

… But it never came. Instead what we got was a whiff of the most disgusting thing I've ever smelt. I swear my nose just died on me there.

I coughed. "Oh Jesus, what the hell is that smell?"

"' _What do you mean? What smell?_ ' she asks in a panic," Horologium said.

Though Lucy didn't have to wait long to find out. A moment later her spirit's time expired and she was exposed to this hell.

I looked up and saw the figure had emerged into the sunlight.

"Is that a… a large rat?" Lucy asked uncertainty. "Is it wearing frilly clothes?"

I gulped. "Now can we run?" I asked again.

Gray smiled nervously. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

"Run!" Natsu yelled, voicing what I believed to be what was on everyone's mind.

Just like that, we were off, running for our lives from a large monstrous rat wearing an outfit of ribbons and frills… what had my life turned into?

As I pondered such thoughts, we were constantly barraged by the decaying breath that our pursuer spewed from her mouth.

"Alright, I'm done running!" Gray growled as he spun around. "Ice-Make Floor!" he shouted, producing ice from the palm of his hands.

The ice spread across the ground and the large rat slipped onto her back.

I stopped running. "Well, that was anticlimactic," I said.

"Yeah, I guess it was," Lucy replied.

I paused before turning to Gray. "And again with the names."

"I swear, Nate!" Gray started.

I raised my arms in surrender. "Alright, alright," I said with a grin. "I'm just saying that your naming skills could use a bit more work."

"Okay then, what would you name it?" he asked in irritation.

I shrugged. "Beats me," I replied. "I didn't even know I had magic until recently."

Lucy sighed. "I feel like they've done this before."

"Hey guys, look," Natsu called out to us. "There's some kind of building over there. Maybe we should check it out?"

I looked over at the large rat warily. She seemed to be stirring. "Yeah, let's get out of here before this oversized rodent wakes up," I agreed.

We moved further away from the unconscious rat, which put me at ease, and towards what I knew to be the ancient moon temple.

"Wow, this place is huge," Lucy said in awe.

"What is this place?" Gray asked as he swept his hand against the wall.

"This is the ancient temple of the moon," I explained knowledgeably. "It used to be a place where the villagers came to worship the moon."

Natsu started stomping on the floor underneath us. "This place looks like it's gonna crumble at any moment," he pointed out.

When Natsu said that, I remembered what happened next.

Now there were two things that I could have done. Firstly, I could have just let it happen and prayed that I came out of it alive, or secondly, I could have stopped what was about to happen and ruin any chance of finding Deliora.

Guess which one I chose…

 _CRACK! CRACK!_

"What was that?" Lucy asked in worry.

I looked down at the cracks underneath my feet. I regretted my choice already.

After that, the floor caved in underneath us and we all started plummeting to our deaths. Well, that's what I assumed was going to happen.

"Natsu, you idiot," Gray shouted.

I waited with bated breath for the ground to become visible underneath.

It appeared and disappeared just as quickly.

All I saw was darkness.

* * *

"Hey, Nate. You alive?" Gray asked.

I blearily opened my eyes. "I think so," I replied. I winced at the pain coursing through every fiber of my body. "Though I kinda wished I wasn't."

Happy sighed. "I think he's gonna be fine."

"That is a huge overstatement," I said, getting off the ground. "I'm quite sure I could have done without the fall."

"I'd have to agree," Lucy said.

Gray shrugged. "Well, at least we're alive."

I looked up at the hole that we'd fallen through. Somehow I'd survived that.

"Is there any chance you could fly us out, Happy?"

Happy shook his head. "No, sorry."

"So we're stuck here?"

"Not exactly. There's a tunnel over there," Gray replied, pointing at a wide crevice in the far wall. "We just don't know where it leads off to."

I walked over to the wall that Gray pointed out. I felt a slight breeze. "Yeah, this should lead us out of this place," I said resolutely. "And even if it doesn't, I don't plan on staying here for the rest of my life. We should get moving."

"Hey, guys?" Lucy asked, drawing our attention. "Where's Natsu?"

"What do you mean?" Gray asked, turning around. "He was here just a minute ago. Don't tell me that he actually left without us?"

I sighed. "It seems like it. Whatever, let's just catch up to him."

We started down the tunnel and quickly made our way through, trying to catch up with our dragon slayer who went off to who knows where.

When we emerged on the other side of the tunnel, we were brought into another cavern. Though this one housed something dangerous.

Natsu stood only a dozen or so feet away from us.

"There you are," Lucy shouted. "Don't just run off on your own like that, Natsu."

He completely ignored Lucy. "Guys… what the hell is that?"

All of us looked up to where he was looking and froze. Even though I knew that it'd be here and that I shouldn't have been surprised. It sent shivers down my spine.

"That's impossible," Gray gaped. "T-That's… Deliora."

"The demon of disaster…" I muttered.

Gray turned to me. "You know of this demon?"

I nodded. "I know of all of Zeref's demons, including Deliora. Though why is it here? Last I heard, it was frozen in the northern continent."

"It was sealed there," Gray nodded, quivering in fear or anger.

Lucy frowned. "What happened?" she asked.

"An attack on the country of Isvan a decade ago," Gray replied. "If it weren't for my master, Ur, the demon would likely have destroyed the whole country."

"A demon that your teacher sealed?" Natsu thought. "Then what's it doing here?"

No one knew the answer… well, I did, but I wasn't going to say.

"Could Deliora be what is causing the island's curse?" Lucy wondered.

"It wouldn't be surprised if it was," Gray replied in spite. "That thing might be trapped in ice, but it is still very much alive."

"You said that your master sealed it away, right?" I presumed. He nodded. "How did she do it? From what I heard, it would be too powerful for even the most experienced of wizards to deal little more than a scratch on it."

Gray remained quiet for a second. "Iced Shell," he let up.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

He looked up. "That was the name of the spell she used to defeat Deliora."

"The ice that never melts," I muttered. "But that would mean…"

Gray nodded. "Yeah, she died for that spell."

There was an absolute silence.

"I don't think I'm following," Lucy admitted reluctantly. "If your master manager to seal away Deliora, how'd she die?"

I decided to answer for Gray. "Well, Lucy. Since Iced Shell is arguably one of the most powerful ice spells, it differs from the laws of normal magic," I explained. "Instead of requiring ethernanos, which most spells do, Iced Shell requires the caster's own life force. Which is the reason why this type of ice is more permanent."

Gray clenched his fists. "Why would anyone want to bring this here, if they knew that they couldn't melt it? It just doesn't make any sense at all."

I walked up to the ice and placed a hand on it. It was wet.

"Well, they must have found a way to melt it," I said, holding out my drenched hand. "There's water running along the ice."

Gray's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"

"We need answers," Lucy stated.

"We should catch whoever's behind all of this," Natsu added.

"No," Gray said clearly. "We wait here."

Lucy was perplexed. "Why?"

"No, I agree with Gray," I admitted. "I think it's best if we wait here and see what happens when night falls."

"Till nightfall?" Natsu exclaimed.

Gray nodded. "I think that everything that's happening on this island has something to do with the moon. If we wait till night, we might see something."

"I agree with Gray," I said. "It'd be better if we knew what was going on."

Natsu seemed on the verge of arguing, but stopped. Seemed like he was showing some restraint. I was impressed with his self-control.

"Alright, I guess we'll wait," Lucy conceded in the end.

We all found a place to laze around and wait for the moon to come up. Problem with that was, it got really boring real quick.

I decided that now was as good as any other time to test out the magic headphones that I'd bought back in Magnolia. To be honest, I'd almost completely forgotten about them since so much had happened. I pulled them over my head.

It took me a while to figure out, but after a moment of fiddling, I was listening intently to a few pieces by _The Legends_. A group Laxus recommended to me when I first met him. I had to say they were quite enjoyable.

I laid down on the ground and rested my head on my bag. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world, but it'd do.

By the time I'd exhausted three albums or so, I believed that night had fallen. All that was needed now was for the Moon Drip ritual to begin—

 _RUMBLE! RUMBLE!_

—And speaking of the devil. It was starting right at this moment.

Sure enough, a small beam of moonlight fell from the ceiling of the cave and struck the ice encasing Deliora. It continued to grow wider and wider until it covered the entirety of the demon. Though that wasn't what was frightening.

Water flowed down the sides of the ice in small streams, pooling up at the floor of the cave and out towards the sea. Deliora's prison was crumbling.

"They actually found a way…" Gray said slowly. He looked surprised.

"Well, don't just stand there gaping," Natsu said decisively, slapping Gray on the back. "Let's go find out where that light is coming from."

"R-Right," Gray stuttered, as he took off after Natsu.

We chased after the two hot-headed wizards and found a set of stairs leading up towards the main floor of the temple.

"I think it's still further up," Happy said.

Lucy frowned. "What can this purple moonlight mean?"

"We won't know unless we find where this spell is being cast from," Gray replied.

"Come on," Natsu urged. "There's another set of stairs over here."

We followed Natsu up another flight of stairs and reached the peak of the temple. There we saw a crowd of robed figures chanting some sort of spell.

Before we were possibly spotted, we took shelter behind some rubble.

"What are they saying?" Natsu asked.

I frowned. "It's a moon drip ritual," I said gravely.

Lucy frowned. "What's that?"

"A form of dispelling magic," I explained, peeking from where we sat. "I think they're planning on using the moon drip to revive Deliora."

"But that's impossible! Iced Shell can't be melt," Gray exclaimed.

I shook my head. "That's not entirely true," I said. "If they focus the moon's magical power onto a single point, they can break nearly any kind of spell."

"No way," Happy said in surprise.

Gray trembled. "They don't understand…"

I watched Gray with concern. Seemed he was really affected by Deliora.

"I think that this is the powerful source of magic that's causing those nasty side effects on the villagers," I confirmed resolutely.

"Shh, someone's coming," Lucy whispered.

We all looked up as a man in a mask stepped into our field of view. Following him out towards the ritual site were three of his loyal followers.

It was none other than Lyon, Sherry, Toby, and Yuka.

Sherry went up to Lyon. "I'm afraid that we've got some bad news, Cold Emperor," she started with a sigh. "We found evidence of some intruders earlier today. Seems they fell down to the caverns below. They might still be there."

"Intruders?" the Cold Emperor said. Gray tensed up.

I squeezed Gray's shoulder in reassurance. He couldn't be locking up now.

The Cold Emperor continued. "When will Deliora be revived?"

"Probably today or tomorrow," Sherry replied.

The Cold Emperor frowned. "And about the intruders… the only living beings on the island are the villagers, right?" he asked. He got a nod in return. "Eliminate them."

Sherry, Toby, and Yuka were all too eager to accept.

"Are they really going to go through with that?" Natsu asked.

I was about to reply when Gray tugged the back of my shirt. I turned to him.

"Nate, I'm going to need you to stay out of this fight," he said slowly. "Head back to the village and warn them about what is coming."

I frowned. "What about you guys?" I asked.

He glared at the masked wizard "I've got some questions I need to be answered."

I looked into Gray's eyes and could see the resolve in them. I nodded my head in acceptance. "Alright, I understand," I said, as I slowly crept away from where my companions lay in wait. "Be careful, that Cold Emperor guy is dangerous."

With that, I slowly started to make my way down the side of the temple.

It wasn't even five minutes later when I heard the commotion up top signifying the start of a fight. I felt bad about ditching my guildmates, but I knew that if I stayed all I'd be to them was an anchor that kept them chained down.

"It's probably better this way," I mumbled to myself, as I reached the bottom and started running in the general direction of the village.

I just hoped that nothing bad happened to my friends.


	4. Chapter 4 - Galuna Island Part Two

**Author Notes:**

Hey all,

This is Snail_Emperor again and I suck at updating on time. I'm so sorry for how long it took for me to update this time. I just haven't had the time to get around and write this story, but now that it's spring break I can do whatever I want and most of my time will be dedicated to writing this story... and getting a job.

As for Nate, a lot of you have been asking when he'd be getting to actually using his powers. He'll start to train them after we've finished with this arc of the Fairy Tail story.

And without further ado, enjoy the story.

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 4 - Galuna Island Part Two**

"That's not going to work, Lucy…"

"Of course it is," she replied. "There's only one entrance into the village, therefore they're going to have to come through here and fall into my trap."

"You made a pitfall trap that you covered in leaves," I said slowly. I then frowned. "The colors don't even blend together."

"Just trust me, it's gonna work," Lucy reassured.

Needless to say, I was quite positive that this wasn't going to work. For more reasons than me knowing what was about to happen.

Before I could argue any further on the matter, one of the men on the wall called out to us, "There's someone coming," he shouted down.

Seemed like the only one who'd fall into the pitfall trap was coming.

"Isn't that Natsu?" Happy asked.

Sure enough, Natsu came into sight. Seemed he was heading straight for us, and by extension, for _someone's_ pitfall trap.

Lucy panicked. "Wait, Natsu. Don't come any-"

 _THUD!_

I glanced down into the pit and saw Natsu lying at the bottom in pain. "Never mind, Lucy," I said through a fit of giggles. "It really did work."

"Oh shut it, Nate," Lucy groaned.

I continued to chuckle in good humor. "Hey, Natsu. You good?"

When he didn't answer, I looked down the hole. Even through my mirth, I could tell that something was wrong. "What's wrong, Natsu?" I asked.

The dragon slayer stood up from where he was crouched in Lucy's pitfall trap, revealing a bruised and battered Gray.

"What happened?" Happy asked in worry.

Natsu growled. "He was beaten by that Lyon fellow," he replied.

"Lyon?" I feigned ignorance splendidly.

Lucy frowned. "That's right, you weren't there," she said. "Apparently the guy that we saw in the mask earlier used to be Gray's training partner."

I nodded my head in acknowledgment, before turning to a villager. "Hey, can you get us some rope or something," I asked politely.

The man nodded and returned shortly with a length of rope.

Once we'd gotten our friends out of the hole, we got a few of the villagers to take care of Gray while we waited for Lyon's goons to show.

"Where are those three?" Natsu asked impatiently.

Lucy frowned. "Yeah, honestly? They left before you and Gray did."

"Maybe they got lost?" Happy suggested.

"That's highly unlikely," I started, not taking my eyes off the horizon. "They've been living on this island for the past three years."

"Then where could they be?" Lucy asked.

I shrugged. "Who knows," I replied. "Just be prepared for _anything_."

Silence fell on us once more… though that didn't last long.

"What's going on here?" someone shouted from behind us. We all looked back to see the village chief. "It's almost the middle of the night."

I waited for Lucy or Natsu to reply, but neither did. They just looked at me as if waiting for me to take the initiative.

I sighed. "Listen, village chief-" I started.

"No, you listen here!" he shouted, causing me to flinch back. "I hired you people to destroy the moon, not to start little feuds on our home island."

I tried again. "But they might be-"

"I don't want to hear it!" he shouted. "Destroy the moon or get out of here!"

He stormed off, leaving us in silence again.

This time it didn't last though. "What's that?" a villager asked.

We all looked up. "Uh, guys. Is that…" Lucy started.

"I believe so," I confirmed.

"And is it flying…" Lucy continued.

"Uh huh," I said.

"And is it holding…"

"Without a doubt," I agreed.

Lucy sniffed. "And there goes all my hard work."

"We've got bigger problems than that, Lucy," I said gravely.

Natsu looked over at me in confusion. "What do you mean, Nate?" he asked.

"That bucket that the giant rat is holding… that's a very potent acid," I explained. "One drop of that can melt straight through our flesh."

Lucy looked alarmed. "How are we supposed to defend against that then?"

I glanced over at Natsu. He nodded. "Gather everyone into the center of the village," he demanded. "I'm counting on you two to do that."

Lucy and I nodded our affirmation.

He looked over at Happy. "You're with me buddy," he said with a grin.

"Aye," the exceed said, grabbing ahold of Natsu.

After Natsu took to the skies, Lucy and I split up to warn the villagers. We ran around the village telling everyone to meet at the center immediately.

After warning almost everyone, there remained only one person.

"Village chief-" I started. I didn't get further than that.

"No!" he shouted stubbornly. "I'm not moving from my son's grave!"

"But if you don't-" I tried again.

"No!" he continued to shout. "I'm not going to!"

I grit my teeth in frustration. That's it, I had had enough.

 _WHACK!_

I pulled back my hand and glared at Moka. "Will you seriously die for a stupid rock?" I asked angrily. "You sacrificed your son for the well-being of the village and now you're going to leave them with no one to lead them?"

He put a hand to where I had hit him. "I-I…"

"Does your son mean so little to you that you'd let his death be in vain?" I asked seriously. If he wouldn't listen willingly, then I'd force him to.

 _SLAM!_

I clutched my stomach in pain and looked up. Moka glared at me in absolute rage. "Don't you dare accuse me of not caring enough about my son," he growled.

I snarled. "Then start acting like it," I replied. "You can choose whether on not you want to live. I'm done trying to reason with you."

After that, I made my over to the center of the village.

Once I arrived, a few of the villagers swarmed around me. "Hey, do you know where the chief is?" one of them asked in worry.

"Yeah, he plans on dying at his son's grave," I said disgustingly.

"What?" another exclaimed. "Why didn't you stop him?"

Before I could reply, someone else did, "Because I was being irrational."

We looked over to see the village chief standing amongst us. "If it weren't for Nate, I probably would have died at my son's grave," he said earnestly.

I started to smile. With it widening by the second. "So you chose not to die?"

He smiled back. "You were right," he admitted. "If I died here, what would be the point of the sacrifices I had already made."

I nodded my head in acknowledgment.

 _BOOM!_

We all looked up as an explosion rang throughout the island.

Now I know that most of you were probably thinking about how scary it was for literal flesh-eating acid to be raining down around me, but if I was to be honest, I was more hung up on another thought.

"I still don't get it?" I thought aloud.

Lucy looked over. "What do you mean, you don't get it?" she asked incredulously. "Isn't it obvious? They're trying to kill us."

I shook my head. "That's not what I'm getting at," I replied.

"Please explain," Lucy said.

"Well, that acid. It's called Double Poison Jelly…" I started.

"So…" Lucy urged me to continue.

I frowned. "So why's it called that?" I asked.

She just looked at me in utter horror. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" I asked in confusion.

"Be able to ask such stupid questions while we could die at a moment's notice!" she exclaimed loudly. _Very_ loudly. "It's not human."

I paused for a long while. "It's not a stupid question," I finally said.

Lucy groaned. "I work with a bunch of lunatics."

I smirked. Damn right she did. Though in truth, I was pretty scared myself. Stupidity and humor were the things that I fell back on when I was shaken.

I was dragged out of my thoughts when Natsu landed near us.

"Get ready for a fight, guys," he said as he turned to the approaching wizards.

Considering that I hadn't exactly trained my newfound nullification magic yet, I opted for the magic gun that I had snagged off of the Eisenwald lackey. At least with that, I would be able to use my magical energy without screwing up.

I quickly set my eyes on three figures as they emerged from the smoke of the smoldering ashes of the razed village.

"So you lived after the love we tried to passionately show you," Sherry said as she approached us with Toby and Yuka in tow.

"You define that as love!" Lucy exclaimed. "We could have died!"

"Ah, yes," Sherry continued. "That would have been the optimal outcome, but now we're going to have to resort to much messier means."

Yuka looked over our group. "Around fifty villagers and three wizards, shouldn't take us more than twenty minutes," he said without a second thought.

"Yeah, well we'll see about that," Natsu said as he cracked his knuckles.

I turned to the villagers who had clustered together behind us. "You guys have a storage area not too far away from here, right?" I asked.

"Yeah we do," Moka replied in confusion. "What about it?"

"I want you to take our friend and get the hell out of here," I said, without room for argument. "We don't need more to worry about."

"No," Gray muttered. Seemed he was conscious again. "Let me fight with you."

I shook my head. "Not going to happen," I said swiftly.

"I need-" he started. That all he got out.

 _SLAM!_

Natsu pulled back his fist and caught Gray before he could fall. "We don't need you. Just get some rest, my friend," he said caringly.

"What just happened?" Lucy asked in a confusion.

"Natsu's giving Gray some tough love," Happy replied. "Even if it seems that they fight whenever they come into contact with one another, at the end of the day, they'd be there for each other when it really matters."

I couldn't agree more with Happy. Those two were very much like brothers.

After that, Natsu walked over to the villagers and gave Gray over to one of them. "Take good care of him," the dragon slayer said.

The villager dipped his head and slung Gray over his shoulder.

"We'll be heading out then," Moka said as he and the rest of the villagers started in the opposite direction of the imminent fight.

"Thank you, village chief," Lucy said. "Please take care of Gray."

"I'm sorry, but that just won't do," Sherry cut in sharply. "Our Cold Emperor asked us to eliminate _everyone_ in the village in the name of love."

She turned to her giant rat. "After them, Angelica," she said.

Angelica screeched her agreement and jumped into the air with Sherry in her arms.

"That's not gonna happen!" Lucy exclaimed.

You know, I'd seen some stupid stuff in my short life so far. Heck, I'd been the one doing that stupid stuff, but what I just witnessed was plain dumb.

"She grabbed on!" I exclaimed. I needed to repeat that just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. "She actually grabbed on."

Natsu grinned. "Good job, Lucy! Take care of that love-struck sicko!" he yelled.

Of course, by then, she was well out of hearing range.

"Do you think she'll be fine?" Happy asked.

"Well…" I started uncertainly. I then watched the flying rat plummet from the sky. "I think she might need some… help," I finished.

The exceed sighed and spread his wings. "I'll go help her," he replied.

"Thanks, Happy," Natsu said as he focused his attention on the remaining enemies. "Now which of you two want an ass whooping first?"

Neither were intimidated. "You're hardly worth the effort," Yuka said as he stepped forwards. "So let's just get this over-"

Without hesitation, large brows raised an arm and released some of his magical energy, dispersing a breath of fire Natsu sent his way.

"I was still talking," Yuka said, unfazed by the attack.

Natsu grinned and replied, "What kind of fool waits for his opponent to be done talking."

After that, they got right into it. Going back and forth with their respective magic. Though it didn't seem like either was making much progress on each other.

As much as I wanted to just sit back and watch the spectacular fight in front of me. I knew that I had my own opponent to take care of.

I directed my attention from large brows to dog boy. I grinned. "Looks like it's just you and me, puppy," I said mockingly.

This seemed to aggravate Toby. "Damn it, I'm not a real dog!" he yelled in irritation. "It's just a fashion statement!"

I seriously frowned. "What kind of fashion statement are you trying to make?" I muttered to myself. "Seems more like cosplay."

Ignorant of what I'd said, he continued. "I hope you know that I'm stronger than both Sherry and Yuka. And these paralysis claws will prove it."

I smirked. "Come at me, puppy."

Seemed that Toby _really_ wasn't fond of that word because a moment later, he raced towards me at an incredible speed. I hastily lifted my magic gun.

 _BANG!_

… I missed spectacularly. I swore under my breath and calmed my shaking hands. I took aim again.

 _BANG!_

… It was a bit closer, I think?

You know, third time's the charm, right? I took aim once more.

 _BANG!_

…

… Fuck it, guess I was going with the other plan.

"Hey, Toby!" I yelled, making him stop. He was dangerously close. "You've got something right here!" I pointed at my temple.

In a confusion, he mimicked my gestures and punctured his skin with his paralyzing claws. He realized his mistake too late.

"Oh, shit-" was all he got out before he fried himself.

I smiled nervously. Good thing he was an idiot, or I would've been a goner.

On that note, I frowned. Maybe it'd do me some good to get some target practice in, better yet some overall combat training. I knew Alzack or Bisca would help with the gun problem, as for the rest… maybe Erza?

…

…

…

Who was I kidding, I wasn't suicidal. God knows what Natsu went through when he was taught to read and write. I wasn't going to risk that sorta hell.

After I'd somewhat given to the idea of training once we'd finished the job request, I pulled myself out of my thoughts just in time to see Natsu punch large brows squarely in the face. It was really, really satisfying to watch.

"Cool, you beat him, Natsu," I called out to him.

"Yeah, I did," the dragon slayer grinned. He looked down at a thoroughly cooked Toby. "What about you? Thought you said you couldn't fight."

I chuckled nervously. "Well, let's just say that that puppy was all bark no bite."

I was expecting some sort of reaction. A chuckle. A compliment. A snide comment. Anything really, but Natsu didn't say a word.

I looked over at him. He was staring off into the distance.

At first, I was confused at what he was staring at, but then I realized that that was where Lucy had fallen from the sky. Maybe-

"Hey, Nate?" Natsu asked.

I looked back over. "Yeah, what is it?" I replied.

"Can you check up on Lucy?" he asked seriously. "I'm worried that something might have happened to her. That other girl that she chased after… she smelt dangerous."

I nodded and replied, "Alright, though what about you?"

He looked towards the temple looming in the distance. "I've got to have a few words with this Cold Emperor fellow," he said.

I could see the passion in Natsu's eyes and decided against arguing. "Be careful, Natsu," I said as I started towards where Lucy fell.

He nodded and headed off in the opposite direction, towards the temple.

* * *

"Lucy! Where are you!" I shouted. "Say something!"

I miserably pushed on through the thick foliage as I searched for our blonde friend. I'd found the location that she'd fallen not too long ago, and now I was following the trail of destruction to where I hoped she'd be.

"Come on, Lucy!" I continued. "Where are you!"

I spent some more time pushing my way through the jungle until I eventually fell out onto the beach. I then spotted our celestial wizard a bit away.

"Lucy!" I exclaimed. "You're alive! How'd you-" I promptly shut up.

You see, I'd forgotten about one major thing that happened after Lucy defeated Sherry, and that was a certain pissed off red-head.

"E-Erza," I stuttered. She sent a glare my way.

I hastily looked down and spotted Happy in her grasp. Seemed she got to him already.

"Nate," she said authoritatively. I shivered. "Would you mind explaining to me why a completely brand new wizard such as yourself felt it was appropriate to break the guild rules and take on an S-Class job request?"

I smiled nervously. "Well, you see," I started. "I wanted some job experience fast, and Natsu offered me a great opportunity, so naturally I accepted…" I slowly trailed off and dropped the smile when Erza's glare continued to darken.

"We're leaving," the red-head said firmly as she walked off.

"Wait, what?" I asked incredulously.

"You heard me, we're leaving," Erza started again. "After we find Natsu and Gray, we're withdrawing from this island and returning to the guild."

"But what about the people?" I asked. "We have to help them."

"And why's that?" she asked.

I frowned. "Because the people here are suffering," I said incredulously. "Don't you care about what happens to them if we don't help?"

"What happens to them is hardly our concern," Erza continued.

"Please Erza, you have to let us finish this job," I pleaded desperately. "We can't just leave stuff the way-" I stopped… with a sword at my throat.

"I don't think you understand the predicament that you're in," the red-head repeated furiously. "You betrayed Master Makarov's trust."

There was a long silence between the both of us before I returned her glare with one of my own. "Don't you think that breaking a rule or two is justified if it serves to save a life?" I asked spitefully, grabbing ahold of her blade tightly in my hand.

I roughly shoved it off my neck. "I know I might have betrayed Fairy Tail and I know I might not be forgiven for doing what I'm about to do," I started resolutely. "But if I won't be forgiven for doing what I _know_ is right, then this isn't the guild for me."

I started to stalk off. "You're free to try and stop me," I continued. "But if anything happens to the villagers. I won't forgive you."

I then marched off before Erza could get in another word. I didn't get very far though before someone called out to me.

"Nate! Wait for me!" I looked back. It was Lucy.

"Lucy?" I asked incredulously. "I thought you'd have stayed with Erza. Aren't you like afraid of her? I know Natsu and Gray are."

The blonde frowned. "Well, I wouldn't call it scared…" she trailed off when I gave her a knowing look. "Alright fine, I'm a bit scared of her."

"And the truth comes out, " I said with a victorious smirk.

Lucy blushed and I laughed. "But what you said to Erza earlier…" my attention was drawn back to her. "You were right. If doing what I know is right is a betrayal to Fairy Tail, then I'd rather not be a part of it."

I was genuinely shocked by Lucy's words. I knew how much Fairy Tail meant to her, and she was willing to betray it just like that.

I frowned. "Are you sure about this, Lucy?" I asked. "Erza wasn't kidding about the punishment. You might actually be kicked out of Fairy Tail."

Lucy gulped but nodded. "Yeah, I am. It's the right thing to do."

I saw the determination in her eyes and couldn't help but get this sense of pride. "Alright, then let's go," I said with a smile.

Lucy nodded again and we started towards the temple. "By the way, what happened after I left?" she asked. "Where's Natsu?"

"Well," I started. "After you so _bravely_ grabbed onto the giant rat-"

Lucy interrupted me. "It's Angelica."

"What?" I asked.

"The rat's name is Angelica," she insisted.

"Okay… and I care why?"

The blonde frowned. "I don't know," she replied. "All I know is that that love-struck sicko wouldn't shut up about her Angelica."

"So then why'd you bring it up?" I continued.

"Because you didn't call the rat by her name," the celestial wizard said.

"That's because I don't give a damn about the stupid rat!"

"Angelica," Lucy corrected me.

"I swear to god, Lucy."

"I'm sorry," she said, very flustered. "I think I might have PTSD or something for giant teal rats wearing frilly clothes," she shivered and continued, "You don't know what Angelica was going to do to me before Erza showed up."

I sighed. "Alright, fine then. After you grabbed onto _Angelica_ ," I started again. She nodded her head in thanks. "The other two of Lyon's lackeys, Toby and Yuka, stayed to finish off both Natsu and I."

"And what happened?" she asked curiously.

I looked ahead. We were drawing nearer to the temple. I smirked. "We kicked their asses, of course," I said confidently.

She smiled in return."That's nice to hear," she said.

We continued onwards to the temple.

By the time we arrived at the temple, the sun was nearly halfway up in the sky.

And already, I could tell that Natsu had been giving Lyon a fair bit of trouble if the slanted temple was anything to base my assumptions on.

"Do you think Natsu's been here already, or…" Lucy trailed off.

I grinned. "Oh, he's definitely been here. That much I'm certain," I said confidently.

"So what should we do then?" Lucy asked.

I pointed at the tilted building. "From what I can tell, Natsu's probably been trying to cut off Lyon's ability to gather moonlight and shine it on Deliora's ice prison," I assumed. "I think that we should help him do just that."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" she asked.

I frowned. I really hadn't thought about that. But as I did, my eyes were unconsciously drawn to Lucy's belt and the keys on them.

"How about we use Virgo?" I suggested. "She can dig holes right through the support columns and collapse the temple, or at the very least angle it even further."

Lucy nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan," she turned around and pulled a key from her belt. "Open, the gate of the maiden! Virgo!"

If I was going to be honest with myself, it really was something to watch. Blues. Greens. Reds. Yellows. Lights of all colors bloomed of the present magic circle. But what came out wasn't what either Lucy or I were really expecting…

"Why did you summon me?" a blue-haired 'woman' seethed. "Didn't I tell you a few days ago, that I was going on a date with my boyfriend today!" she yelled.

"Aquarius!" I exclaimed in surprise. I turned to Lucy. "Why did you summon _her_?"

Lucy shook her head repeatedly, though it seemed more directed at Aquarius' ire than my own question. "I'm sorry, Aquarius, I didn't mean to summon you," Lucy apologized nervously. "This is all a big misunderstanding. I was trying to summon Virgo, but I think I got the two of your keys mixed up somehow."

There was a dead silence, in which Aquarius continued to quiver in anger. Boy, was I glad I wasn't Lucy. "You think? You _think_!" the celestial spirit screamed. "I was enjoying a relaxing day with my boyfriend, which by the way you'll never get one before you had to ruin it by dragging me out to wherever the hell we are now!"

I think Lucy visibly shrunk back. I didn't blame her. The mermaid was seriously something to behold. Not in a good way either.

"I said I was sorry," Lucy started meekly. It didn't seem to help her case.

Aquarius snapped. Didn't seem she could take any more of Lucy's shit. "Torrent!" she shouted as she swung her urn in Lucy's direction.

A few droplets of water landed in my mouth. Saltwater? I looked up curiously and promptly, my eyes widened. "Oh fuck-" That's all I got out before a _large_ sum of seawater dragged me down into its murky depths.

After what felt like a solid minute of being thrown around like a ragdoll by the sea current (and yes, I was going with sea water), the water slowly started to seep into the ground and left me lying on my back wondering when the pain would go away.

Elbow. Head. Foot. Thigh. Those were the parts of my body that suffered the brunt of the beating that I just received from Aquarius. I could now see why Lucy considered her to be the strongest of her celestial spirits.

Aquarius tsked. "Don't bother me anymore today, or else I'll make sure you don't live through the next time," she said in irritation.

"Duly noted," Lucy coughed meekly from somewhere off to my left.

The mermaid then dissolved in a bright light, leaving behind a couple of thoroughly dazed teenagers, a very soaked temple, and an abundance of-

Wait, the temple! Wondering what had happened to it, I sat up. Though regretted it immediately due to the pain that flared in my side.

When I looked over at it, I wasn't disappointed. Even though all Aquarius wanted to do was punish Lucy, she ended up helping us by loosening the foundation of the structure. Or maybe that was her intention all along.

I looked over at Lucy as she attempted to wring out her soaked clothes. Seemed that she and Aquarius really did have a special bond.

"Hey, Nate? You alright?" Lucy asked. "You've been sitting there for a while now."

I came out of my thoughts. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good. I was just thinking, that's all," I replied. "Anyways, you should thank Aquarius later."

Lucy looked confused. "Why's that?" she asked. "Last time I checked, she just tried to drown us for interrupting a date."

"Yeah, but she also weakened the structure of the temple," I countered.

That shut Lucy up. "She did?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah, she did. I think she cares more about you than she lets on," I said confidently. "You should be glad you've got a spirit like her."

She looked down at Aquarius' key fondly. "Yeah, you're right," she admitted. "I should probably thank and apologize to Aquarius later."

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan, though you should probably summon Virgo now," I said. "I'm sure Aquarius' little stunt has drawn some sort of attention our way, and I'd rather be hidden away when that attention comes around."

"Yeah, that might be for the best," Lucy agreed as she pulled out Virgo's key. She double checked to be sure. "Open, the gate of the maiden! Virgo!"

This time, to my relief, Lucy's pink-haired maid showed up. "You summoned me, mistress?" she asked as she knelt down.

Lucy didn't reply immediately, instead opting to look at me for confirmation. I nodded. "Just make sure she doesn't remove all the support columns to the building," I said seriously. "I'm pretty sure Natsu's still in there somewhere."

Lucy agreed. "Alright, Virgo," she said, drawing the attention of her celestial spirit. "Do as Nate said. And please try not to collapse the temple."

"As you wish, mistress," the maid said with a slight bow. She then disappeared into the ground, throwing up wet mud onto both Lucy and I, staining our clothes. Not that it mattered, they were already soaked and in tatters.

Moments later, the temple groaned and it slowly started to slant even further. I exhaled a breath of relief, glad that it hadn't collapsed. It appeared that Lucy's spirits were much more capable than what Hiro had suggested they were.

"What now?" Lucy asked as she stared at the temple slowly shift.

I frowned. I actually wasn't sure what to do… I assumed that Gray and Erza were on there way to the temple and that Natsu had confronted Lyon. Which meant that our resident ice wizard and Titania were soon to be ambushed by Lyon's followers. Maybe we should regroup with them and for a new strategy?

I shook my head at the thought. There was still so many other factors to think about, such as Toby and Ultear, to make rushed choices…

…But we didn't have enough time to make slow decisions either.

"Lucy, I want you to wait for Gray and Erza to arrive while I go search for Natsu," I started slowly. "I'm sure they're going to need your help."

"How do you know they're coming?" Lucy asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Just another gut instinct," I replied.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'll do that," she said. "But will you be fine? I mean, you still can't properly use your magic."

I smirked, though I'm sure it looked strained. "Hey, you're talking to the guy who took out one of Lyon's top lackeys. I'm sure I'll be fine."

I don't think that Lucy was convinced. Maybe it was because I had tricked Toby into knocking himself out, but how would she know that?

Before she could argue that hardly legitimate point, I left her side and crossed the small clearing between the dense jungle and the abandoned temple, coming to a stop outside of the entrance to the structure. I took a deep breath.

I entered into its shadowy depths.

* * *

"Natsu!" I hissed quietly. "Where are you?"

As I walked down one of the many corridors leading through the temple, I thought of how pointless it was for me to come down into the structures depths. How the hell did Gray manage to find Natsu in this labyrinth of halls?

Just as I was about to give up on searching, I heard some faint footsteps.

My curiosity got the best of me and I started in that direction, hoping to stumble upon something of interest in this maze of a building.

To my utter relief, the faint footsteps I heard belonged to Gray.

"Gray!" I exclaimed. "It's me, Nate!"

At my voice, he turned around and saw me running down the hallway to him. He smiled. "Nate!" he called. "It's good to see that you're alright!"

When I finally caught up with him, I caught my breath before I grinned. "Shouldn't I be the one to say that?" I asked rhetorically.

He laughed in good humor. "I guess so," he said before he got serious. "But now's not the time for pleasantries, we've got to find Lyon and stop him before he revives Deliora. He doesn't understand what he's bringing to life."

I nodded. "Do you know the way?" I asked. Looking down the many corridors. "Because honestly I've been stuck wandering these halls for hours."

He shrugged. "No idea," he replied.

"How do you suppose we find Natsu then?" I asked seriously.

He didn't reply to that question, instead, he walked over to one of the walls on either side of us. He pulled back his fist and punched it, causing it to cave in under the force of the ice wizard's fist. He looked up at me. "We'll just break this place till we find Natsu and Lyon," he replied as we passed through the hole in the wall.

I chuckled nervously. "Is this the only way that you and Natsu know how to solve problems…" I muttered to myself.

We continued to smash through the walls of the temple and I worried about it inevitably collapsing. Honestly, I wished that Ultear would fix the place already so that I wouldn't have to worry about the roof collapsing on my head.

I was drawn out of my thoughts when the sound of distant fighting could be heard echoing off the walls of the temple.

"Come on," Gray said, heading towards the sound of fighting. "I hear them up ahead."

We continued running like this for a few seconds before we ended up in front of a wall. The fighting could be heard on the other side of it.

Gray looked over at me. "Be ready for anything," he warned.

I nodded. "Alright, I'm ready," I said.

He returned the nod and broke down the wall with another punch. I really didn't understand how he could do that without his magic…

Though I didn't have much time to dwell on the subject. For as soon as we entered, both Natsu and Lyon turned our way.

"Gray?" Natsu asked in surprise.

"Natsu," Gray acknowledged, walking over to him. Seemed the both of them forgot all about Lyon. "I have something I need to share with you."

"What is it man?" the dragon slayer asked. "Because if it's about this Cold-"

He didn't finish. Gray had decked Natsu before he could. "Don't you ever punch me ever again!" he shouted angrily, picking him up by the front of his shirt. "Do you know how much that punch to the stomach fucking hurt?"

Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything less from the two of them.

But even though I wasn't expecting much from them, what I heard next came as a complete surprise to me. "Yeah, and I'm sorry about that," Natsu said sincerely, grabbing ahold of Gray's forearm tightly. "But you would've died if I didn't. Did you ever think about how our friends and family back home would feel?"

That got Gray's arm to slacken its grip on Natsu.

The dragon slayer continued. "We care for you buddy, so don't go dying on us."

He let go of Natsu completely and looked him in the eyes. "I won't lose to him again, so leave him to me," the ice wizard said resolutely.

Before Natsu could reply to Gray, the building started to shake and groan knocking everyone off balance. "What the hell's going on?" Natsu asked.

"The temple," I started. "It's straightening itself."

"What?" Gray exclaimed. "This is bad. Now the moon's going to shine on Deliora."

As we watched Natsu run around hectically trying to destroy the temple once more, a man with a mask ran through the hole in the wall that Gray and I entered through. "Sorry for the interruption," he said quickly, running up to Lyon.

"I take it this was all your handiwork, Zalty?" Lyon asked rhetorically.

I stared at Zalty. He wasn't actually who he said he was. I knew for a fact that that was Ultear Milkovich, Ur's only child and daughter.

She chuckled. "Indeed it was, sir," she replied. "The moon will be out soon, so I thought I'd take the liberty of straightening the temple out for you."

Natsu frowned. "How'd you do that?" he asked curiously. "How'd you fix the temple?"

Ultear simply looked over at our little group before she started to laugh. I was sure this got on Natsu's nerves. "Now that everything's back in order, I guess I'll commence the Moon Drip ritual," she said, running away.

"What?" Natsu exclaimed in anger at being ignored. "You get back here this instant, you demon-eyed freak!" he started to chase her.

"Wait, Natsu!" Gray shouted.

He stopped and looked back at his longtime friend. "You better not lose this time," he said seriously. "It'll look bad if you lose again…"

"Yeah," Gray replied.

Natsu continued. "And not just for you…"

Gray nodded. "I know," he said.

They finished in unison. "But for all of Fairy Tail!" they shouted.

The dragon slayer grinned and gave the ice wizard a thumbs up before he left to pursue Ultear and make her pay for ignoring him.

I was so focused on the place that Natsu had left through that I almost didn't hear the next words out of Gray's mouth. "Sorry, Natsu," he said quietly. "But I don't think I'll be making it out of this one alive."

He turned to Lyon. "I'm ready to finish this right here and right now," he said.

Lyon glanced at his former peer as if he were a nuisance. "You seem awfully confident for someone who I've already defeated," he said.

Gray ignored the insult. "You were right, Lyon. I'm the reason Ur's dead," he conceded. He continued though, "But you're no better than I am, Lyon. You threatened my comrades, brought harm to the villagers, and now you're trying to destroy the legacy that Ur created. It's time we accept our punishment… together."

I frowned. Please tell me he wasn't planning on using _that_.

Unfortunately, Gray planned on doing just that. Before I knew it, he had started to channel the same spell that had killed his master.

Iced Shell.

I mentally berated myself for not seeing this one coming. That idiot.

As I watched the two former peers go back and forth with one another verbally, I witnessed Lyon then desperately try and break Gray's concentration to no avail. Seemed Iced Shell was just too strong to interrupt with other magic.

Crystals started to form along the ice wizard's body and I knew I was running out of time.

There was only one thing to do in this kind of situation.

 _WHACK!_

I punched Gray squarely in the jaw when he least expected it, effectively stunning him and stopping the channeling of his spell.

He looked at me in shock, having forgotten I was there. "After everything Natsu said, you were still going to go through with that," I said in disappointment.

Gray made to speak up, but no words came out of his mouth. I was right after all, what was there for him to say?

"Did you ever think about how your friends would take this?" I asked.

Gray quivered. "I-I have a score to settle with Lyon," he stuttered stubbornly. "And if it means sacrificing myself, then I'll gladly do it."

I glared at Gray and grabbed the collar of his shirt, drawing him in. "Oh yeah, and how's dying going to solve it?" I asked in frustration. "Because the way I see it, you're running away from this score of yours."

Gray's eyes widened at my truthful words.

I roughly shoved him away. "Even though I haven't known you for that long, the Gray I know isn't a coward that runs away from his problems," I said fiercely. "He's a man that solves them and those of his precious friends."

There was silence as Gray tried to digest everything I had said to him.

 _CRACK! CRACK!_

I froze. What was that noise? It sounded like it was coming from beneath me. I hesitantly started to look down and paled.

The ice below me was breaking, though that wasn't the strangest part about it. It was if it was completely avoiding Gray and only targeting me… but how? There was only one way that was possible and I looked over at him fearfully.

He sneered at me. "You are really getting on my nerves," Lyon said, glaring with every fiber of his being. "Leave us be," he flicked his hand.

The ice gave way and broke into small pieces beneath me. With no amount of shock in my eyes, I looked up at Gray…

… I was falling. Falling into the dark depths of the temple.

* * *

 _SHRIEK! SHRIEK! SHRIEK!_

I sat up with a start. What the hell was that noise?

I looked around in a daze and found myself in a cave, which I identified as the ones below the temple. But how had I gotten here?

I wracked my brain with intent and scarcely remembered stopping Gray from using the Iced Shell. Lyon had then broken the ice below me and I fell all the way down here… I looked up and saw the slightest sliver of-

 _SHRIEK! SHRIEK!_

I covered my ears and screamed at the top of my lungs. It hurt so much. It felt like at any moment my ears would start to bleed.

I knew at that moment that Deliora had awakened.

Eventually, the horrid noise stopped, and I retracted my hands slowly and shakily from my head. I sat up and surveyed where I had fallen. It seemed I was in one of the tunnels that ran under the temple… again.

I tried to stand and collapsed in pain. My body was aching all over. The fall had taken a bigger toll on me than the other one before. I tried again and managed to hold myself up with the help of the wall. I had to find the others.

I figured the best shot I had at finding my friends and guildmates was to head towards the source as much as my body was warning against it. I ignored my body though and pushed myself through the tunnel as fast as I could, which wasn't that fast considering I was bruised and aching all over from the fall.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, I reached the large cavern that had imprisoned Deliora. The reason I specifically used 'had imprisoned' was because the monster's whole upper body was now free from Ur's Iced Shell.

It drew in a lungful of air and I covered my ears instinctively.

 _SHRIEK! SHRIEK! SHRIEK! SHRIEK!_

While the screeching was taking place, I caught the tiniest glimpse of Gray below, walking up to the beast with a purpose in his step. I knew what he was trying to do… but I was way too far away to stop him.

I was about to call out to Natsu to stop Gray from performing the Iced Shell, but something in my mind stopped me. What if things had changed?

Although I was ninety percent certain that Deliora was already dead, there was still that ten percent that frightened me. What if it was still alive? What if Ur hadn't weakened it? If by chance it was like the situation I had met Natsu in, then…

I shook my head to rid myself of those horrid thoughts. There was no time to be thinking about such stupid things. "Natsu! You have to stop Gray!" I shouted loudly. "He's planning on using the Iced Shell! It'll kill him!"

Upon hearing my voice, Gray glanced up at me with a look in his eye… was he pleading? "Please, Nate! Don't try and stop me!" he yelled back. The magic around him intensified. "If this _thing_ manages to get to the mainland, it'll wreck havoc on all of Fiore like it did to Isvan ten years ago! I can't let that happen again!"

I took in a deep breath. "It's dead, Gray! Deliora is dead!" I shouted down. "It's been dead for years!"

He faltered slightly. "That can't be true!" Gray replied. The ice was now coating his legs and arms. "It's right here! It's still moving!"

I shook my head vigorously. "Your master, Ur, has been depleting the demon's life force for ten years now! That's how Iced Shell works!" I explained desperately. "Right now it's nothing more than an empty husk."

"But… I just… what if it…" Gray fumbled to find the right words to use. It seemed he was having a mental breakdown.

"Gray!" I shouted, breaking him out of whatever trance he had been in. He looked up at me. Frost had now coated the entirety of his body. "Do you trust me?"

He paused for a little while and didn't reply.

"You don't have to do everything on your own! Nor should you have too," I started with a smile. "Sometimes when you can't do something it's better to have your friends help out! So please! Let us help you, Gray!"

The ice wizard started to tremble and I swear he was crying, but he stopped channeling the spell all the same. He trusted me in the end.

I closed my eyes and took in another deep breath. I was gambling at this point. If Deliora was dead then it'd be fine that I had stopped Gray, but if it was alive then I'd just damned all of humanity to Zeref's creation.

I opened my eyes to watch Natsu. This was the moment.

During the time I had been speaking with Gray, Deliora had completely broken out of its icy prison. Its gaze locked onto the dragon slayer and it roared, getting ready to beat down the Fairy Tail wizard.

Natsu set his right arm ablaze and clenched it tightly. "I'm not going to let you take Gray or any of my family away from me!" he shouted.

Both Natsu and Deliora met each other with their fists and sent out a wave of intense heat. I dived away from the ledge to avoid it.

 _CRACK! CRACK!_

As soon as I heard that, I looked back down at the demon of destruction and a huge smile reached the entirety of my face.

There were cracks running along the demon's body and I knew then that Deliora was indeed dead. Ur had whittled away at the behemoth's life force bit by bit until it could no longer be considered alive. The demon started to fall apart.

Even though it pained me to smile so much, I was just glad that everything had turned out alright. "Nate!" Natsu shouted.

I looked down at him again. "What is it?" I asked.

"The temple's collapsing!" he shouted. "Get down here! We have to get out!"

I frowned. This wasn't going to be an easy descent. "Alright, I'm coming down," I shouted back. "Stand back! I might fall!"

Taking in yet another deep breath, I started to descend to the bottom of the cavern. It was hard considering I was still reeling from my earlier fall, but I pushed on knowing that death awaited me if I stayed in these damn tunnels.

More than halfway down the side of the cavern, I tried to place my foot on what I had thought was a stable foothold. Problem was, it crumpled underneath my weight and I lost my footing. I started to free fall and closed my eyes, waiting for the harsh landing…

… It never came. Instead, someone had caught me.

I sighed. "Thanks, Gray," I said gratefully.

The ice wizard nodded. "Don't mention it," he replied.

I stood up and Natsu called out to us from one of the many tunnels. Seemed he'd found an exit. "Guys, come on!" he shouted at us. "I smell fresh air this way!"

I started to follow him but stopped when I realized that Gray wasn't behind me. I looked back to see what was the holdup and saw that he had Lyon slung over his shoulder. "Come on, Gray," I urged frantically. "We've got to go _now_."

"I know that," he replied with a grunt. "But I'm not about to leave Lyon-"

Gray stopped when I took Lyon's other side. Guess he wasn't expecting me to just not give a shit about his reasoning and help out.

We made our way over to Natsu as quickly as we could and started running down the tunnel as it collapsed behind us.

"I see light up ahead!" Gray shouted. "This is gonna be close!"

I pushed myself to my limits and went even beyond that. My vision started to blur and I everything started to spin but I kept running. Even after we'd escaped the tunnel, I kept on running until Natsu literally pinned me down to the ground and slapped me for good measure.

"Get a hold of yourself, Nate!" he shouted.

Realizing that we were out, I stopped struggling and let myself relax on the rocky terrain.

"Hey, Natsu! Nate! Gray!" we all looked up the cliffside and saw both Lucy and Erza standing up there, the former waving at us.

Natsu smiled. "Hey, Lucy! I'm glad to see your still alive!" he shouted.

The two female members of our guild slowly made their way down the cliffside, which gave me ample enough time to recover the tiniest bit.

Once they reached us, we all rejoiced at the fact that we had won. "I can't believe we did it," Lucy said quietly, yet with no amount of pride. "We actually won."

Natsu continued to smile. "Of course we won, Lucy," he said confidently. "And now we've totally completed our first S-class quest."

I hated to be such a spoilsport but what had to be done had to be done. "Aren't you all forgetting something?" I asked.

Gray looked over at me in confusion. "What do you mean, Nate?" he asked. "We beat Lyon and we beat Deliora. What more has to be done?"

I sighed. "For a bunch of genius wizards, you guys are pretty dumb," I started in disappointment. "Do you guys remember that the job request was for the villagers? Not for some terrifying demon of destruction."

"Oh yeah," Natsu realized in disappointment. "Guess we're not done, huh."

Lucy frowned. "But we got rid of Deliora…" she said slowly. "Shouldn't the villagers be free from the curse now?"

Erza stepped in. "No, that's wrong," she replied. "This curse that the villagers are under has nothing to do with Deliora."

"For real?" Natsu asked in surprise.

I nodded. "Remember what I'd said earlier about magic? About how powerful spells can have extreme side effects."

The three of them nodded. They remembered it quite well.

"Well as I said before, the Moon Drip ritual is one of _those_ kind of spells," I started. "So Deliora's death isn't going to change their situation."

"So then what are we going to do?" Lucy asked worriedly.

Natsu grinned. "Well isn't it obvious?" he asked rhetorically. "We're going to go destroy the moon for them. After all, that's what we were brought here to do in the first place and they did say it was the source of their problems."

"Natsu, we've been over this," Lucy sighed. "It's not possible to-"

I cut her off. "Actually, he has the right idea," I smiled mischievously. "We're going to destroy the moon for them."

"Didn't you say that it was impossible," Gray remarked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I did," I replied.

It looked like he was trying to find the words to say something but drew a blank.

"Hey, Erza! Lucy!" someone shouted.

We all looked up to see Happy flying towards us.

"Happy," Erza acknowledged the feline. "Did you do what I asked?"

Happy smiled. "Aye!" he replied cheerfully. "I've scouted out the island and you wouldn't believe what I found!"

* * *

"How?" Lucy wondered, curious about how it had happened.

"I know, right?" Natsu replied as he leaned against a wall. "I swear I trashed the place when I blew that acid from the sky."

At seeing Natsu's grin, Lucy frowned. "That wasn't what I was getting at…"

The two continued to bicker about who was right and… I just ignored them. Opting to stare in awe at the impressive work of the lost magic, Arc of Time. I mean hell it managed to restore an entire village from a pile of sludge.

As I was musing in my thoughts, everyone had walked off. I didn't even realize until someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I looked at the person. "Chief Moka," I said with a slight bow. Formality was something that I always relied on. "Did you need something?"

To my surprise, he bowed back. "I wanted to thank you for restoring the village," he replied. "I am greatly indebted to you for everything you've done."

"It's nothing," I accepted his gratitude in earnest.

"However," he continued. "I would still like to let you know that you haven't completed the job request that we've tasked you with."

I nodded my head in understanding. "Yeah, I haven't forgotten about our task," I replied seriously. "Which is why we'll be destroying the moon tonight."

At some point, while I was speaking with the village chief, Gray had snuck up on us. The reason I knew that was because he soon after questioned my sanity. "You do know what's coming out of your mouth, right?" he asked.

"Yep," I said with a smile. "So let's get to it."

"Hell yeah," Natsu said as he pulled in both Gray and myself. "Let's destroy the moon!"

I chuckled in humor. "Alright, alright. We get it, Natsu," I said, pulling the dragon slayer off of me. "But we're going to need more than just your strength to destroy it. Does anyone know where Erza went off to?"

"I'm right here," the wizard in question said from right behind me.

I startled and screamed. "Jesus, Erza! Don't scare me like that!" I yelped as I tried to calm my racing heart.

To my surprise, she apologized. "My apologies, Nate," Erza said formally. A little _too_ formally. Maybe my words at the beach had been harsh. I'd have to apologize to her later. "But what did you need my help with?"

I sighed. For now, though, I'd rather not embarrass her further in front of everyone else gathered here. "I'm going to need to make use of your Giant Armor," I said steadily. I then looked at Natsu. "And your dragon slayer magic."

Erza seemed slightly surprised of my knowledge of her armor before she simply shrugged it off. She probably thought I'd learnt it from a magazine article. She equipped the designated armor and lance I'd requested.

"Now the plan is quite simple," I explained patiently. "Erza's going to throw that spear of hers at the moon and Natsu will increase the speed and strength of it even further by hitting the rear of it. Any questions?"

Neither of them said anything. I continued. "Alright then, let's climb to the top of that guards tower and we'll make the throw from there."

"Dos he really think he can pull this off?" Gray asked Lucy quietly.

"Of course not, Gray," I said, turning to give him and Lucy a goofy smile. "Trying to reach the moon from here with a spear and some fire is probably impossible… but that doesn't mean we're not going to try though."

Lucy sighed. "What's the point…" she said.

I chose to ignore her exasperation in favor of climbing the guards tower.

When we reached the top, I looked down at the villagers gathered below. They seemed excited yet also nervous. Maybe they still had their doubts on whether this would work. I didn't blame them either, it was questionable.

"Alright, let's do this!" Natsu shouted. "I'm all fired up!"

I looked at him and he nodded, then at Erza and she stared right back. She probably figured that I knew about the membrane of magic floating above Galuna island that was causing the villagers to forget that they were demons.

She finally looked away and up at the purple moon.

Seeing that Natsu was ready, Erza drew back her lance. A magic circle appeared on her right arm augmenting her strength. "Now, Natsu!" she yelled, throwing her lance forwards with all of her mustered the strength.

Natsu was standing at the ready and enveloped his right fist in a layer of flames before slamming it into the butt of Erza's lance.

To some extent of magic, the fire flared from the side thrusters of the lance giving the spear even more thrust once it left the fairy tail wizard's grasp.

I shielded my face when the lance blew apart the roof of the guards tower and I glanced down at the villagers below. They're hesitant doubt had been replaced with awe and excitement as they figured their curse would be lifted.

When the debris had cleared, I looked back up with a smirk. Little did they know that they weren't even placed under a curse in the first place.

The sky shattered once Erza's lance made contact, revealing the moon as it had once been three years prior.

"What?" Natsu exclaimed.

Erza walked up beside him. "I see now," she said, realizing what had happened. She turned to me. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

I nodded. "As I said, I knew of the Moon Drip ritual before coming to this island," I started. "Naturally I'd know of the repercussions of this ritual."

I continued. "Especially since these repercussions cannot influence the human body or mind… unlike demons or others."

"I don't get it," Natsu said with a frown.

Before I could answer his question, Erza did for me. "That's because there was a noxious membrane overcasting the island," she replied.

"A membrane?" Natsu asked curiously.

Erza nodded. "A gas was released during the Moon Drip ritual that crystallized above the island," she said confidently. "That's why the moon was purple."

She looked up at the clear sky and continued. "Now that the moon has been restored, everything will return to how it was three year ago."

Seeing as Erza had more or less explained the situation to Natsu, I slid down the ladder and gazed at the villagers as a bright light surrounded each one of them. It seemed they were going to revert to who they used to be…

… The light disappeared and they remained demons.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked. "They're not changing back to humans?"

Happy rested on Lucy's shoulder. "Oh no…"

I came up behind the three and pulled them all in. "That's because these are their true forms," I explained with a smile. "The Moon Drip ritual has no effect on humans, however for demons, it can alter their memories."

Lucy frowned. "Does that mean…"

"Yep," I said mischievously. "These are their true forms."

Lucy, Gray, and Happy shivered. I decided to push it a little further. "I'm sure they won't hurt you… much," I finished after a pause.

The three of them hugged each other in fear. "Please don't eat us!" Lucy shouted.

 _WHACK!_

Someone hit me over the head. "We weren't planning on it," Moka replied from close behind me. He was probably the one that had hit me. "You helped save us after all, why would we feast on our saviors?"

A rambunctious chuckle could be heard. "That they did, dear father!"

Moka's eyes widened. "It can't be," he muttered.

I looked up and over to where the laughter was still taking place and grinned. "Hey, Bobo," I greeted. "Glad you're back."

He stopped laughing and smiled. "It's good to be back," he said.

"B-Bobo?" the village chief stuttered quietly.

"But how?" a villager asked. "I thought you were dead."

Bobo continued to smile and patted his chest. "It's gonna take more than a stab to the chest to kill this demon," he replied, laughing again.

"B-But on the boat," Gray started. "You just disappeared."

To his and Lucy's surprise, he vanished. Though I knew he had just flown quickly into the sky. I looked up into his confused face. "Didn't your friend over there tell you?" he asked, looking over at me. Oh boy… "He did see me take off."

Three sets of eyes were set on me. I whistled innocently. "It must have slipped my mind," I said, completely unconvincingly.

Before the three of the could get angry at me, the village chief called out to his son. "Bobo!" he shouted, as wings sprung from his back. He flew towards his son and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug. "You're alive!"

It took the demon son a moment to adjust before he too embraced his father. "Yeah, pops," he said quietly. "I'm glad you snapped out of it."

While the two hugged each other in joy, one by one the other demons climbed into the sky to greet their recent thought dead brother. It was rather beautiful.

"Yep," the S-class wizard said randomly. "They are definitely demons."

"I don't know," Natsu said, having joined us on the ground from the guards tower. "If you look at their faces… they look more like angels to me."

I blinked and smiled again. "You're crazy, Natsu," I commented.

From somewhere up in the sky, one of the demons suggested something… "Let's throw a party for Bobo's return!" they shouted loudly.

Another chipped in. "Yeah, it'll be a demon party!"

On the ground, Lucy laughed nervously. "I don't know if I'm ready to party with demons."

"Me too, Lucy," Happy agreed quietly.

Though Natsu and I had other plans. "Let's party!" we chorused.

* * *

It was well into the evening when everything had been set up. We were all sitting at tables, enjoying the many dishes of demon cuisine. Although they looked gross and disgusting, they were actually fairly enjoyable and fun.

"This snake meat is really good," I said excitedly. "What is it?"

One of the villagers near me smiled sweetly. "It's a Lunar Snake and it's actually one of my recipes," she said proudly. "I created the dish by letting the cuts of snake meat tenderize in a bed of onions before frying the both of them."

She stopped once she realized she was rambling and blushed in embarrassment, trying to hide behind a curtain of her chocolate hair. It didn't quite hide her though due to the horn on the right side of her forehead creating an opening.

Though I encouraged her to continue with a smile. She did just that. "After that, I combined the deglaze with our homebrewed white wine, Heavens Moon, and reduced the both of them. Then I just piled the meat high with the fried onions and poured generous amounts of the wine sauce overtop."

I smiled. "Could it be possible for me to get these recipes?" I asked politely. "I'm sure my little sister, Sarah, would thoroughly enjoy them."

The woman nodded. "Of course, you may," she said kindly.

"Thank you…" I started, waiting for a name.

She smiled. "It's Joseline."

"Well thank you, Joseline," I thanked sincerely.

"It's not a problem at all," she said.

Before I could get in another word, she was dragged off by one of her female friends to dance. I chuckled in good humour once I saw that the one they were going to dance with was Gray. Seemed that the girls in the village were fanboying over the ice wizard.

As I walked around the party simply enjoying the sights, a figure on the outskirts of the town caught my attention. I smirked, it was yet another gamble.

I saw the figure leave the village and I followed it, trying to remain undetected. Though I wasn't sure if I was successful or not considering the figure paused many times. Eventually, though they stopped and pulled out a crystal ball.

"Were you able to see everything, sir?" Ultear asked the other.

The ball glowed. "Yes," it said in satisfaction. "But why did you restore the village."

Ultear smirked. "I pitied them," she said honestly.

"You better leave before they find you, Ultear," the ball commanded. "Those fairy tail wizards could pose quite a threat to us if they were to get in our way."

"Well you got that right," I answered as I made my appearance behind the time wizard.

To my amazement, she didn't so much as flinch. She just turned around and smiled at me. It was quite unnerving.

My hands were shaking at the thought of death but I smiled confidently. "You can take off that ridiculous disguise you know," I said slowly.

Ultear started to chuckle and did exactly that. "I'm surprised you were able to see through it so easily," she replied as she reverted to her original form. "I hardly sense any magical energy around you, yet you saw right through my own."

I shrugged. "I have my ways," I said nonchalant.

A lull in the dying conversation. The orb spoke up, "What reason did you come out here? You must know that this woman could kill you in an instant."

I nodded. "Oh, I'm well aware of that," I said.

"Then why do it?" it repeated its question, curious for the answer.

I glanced at Ultear. "I need to have a word with dear _Ultear_ over there," I said quietly. A malicious grin spread across my face. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble for you, right _Siegrain_? Or would you rather me call you _Jellal_?"

Another silence took over the group as I awaited my fate.

Jellal finally let out a sigh. "I'll be on my way, Ultear," he said through the orb. "Listen to whatever this man has to say before you leave the island."

Ultear seemed surprised but did not argue with her leader. The orb then fell to the ground and she picked it up, putting it in the folds of her dress. She then sat down in front of me and looked up. "Speak then," she demanded.

Surprised for a second, my eyes quickly went soft when I looked into her own. I could clearly see the hate and rage fueling her. It wasn't a healthy source of energy. I sighed and drew her attention, "You know your mom loved you," I said.

Ultear looked stunned by my words before covering it well. She paused before speaking again. "What would you know about her?" she asked spitefully.

I smirked. I knew practically everything about her past. But I wouldn't tell her anything lest I wished to die a very painful death—

"I know for one that your mother was the one that sealed Deliora in that ice," I said quietly. "Your the daughter that Ur thought she lost."

—Okay, I lied. She needed to know absolutely everything.

I noticed her hands clenching and unclenching. Probably her nerves acting up from a complete stranger knowing of her past.

I continued anyways. She needed to hear this. "When you were born, you got a fever from the surplus of magic energy running through your veins and were left in the care of the Bureau of Magic Development to search for a cure."

Ultear started to tremble and I worried for my own safety. I didn't know whether I should continue or not but steeled my nerves and continued.

"In the end, you were abducted by the bureau for your absurd amount of magic energy and taken as a test subject," I said sadly. It was pitiful. "Kept in a prison where you thought your mother had abandoned you, but in truth-"

I didn't get to continue. For in a matter of seconds, she had her arms wrapped around my throat. "Shut up!" she shouted. She probably didn't want to hear what came next. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

I was determined though. "She was lied to," I croaked. "Told that you had died and that your body was too mangled to even look at."

When I finished speaking, her arms slackened. Letting me inhale oxygen once more.

"Ultear, let me and my friends help you," I offered, proffering my hand.

She mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that, Ultear?" I asked.

She mumbled it again. This time louder… though not loud enough.

"Would you mind repeating that for-" I started.

"Would you just leave me alone!" she finally shouted, taking deep breaths to try and control herself. "Get out of my sight!"

I could see the clear intent to kill in her eyes if I stayed and I backed off warily.

Once I was a few meters away, she just up and disappeared into thin air, leaving not a single trace that she had been there in the first place.

I looked at the spot she'd been and sighed. It hadn't exactly gone the way I'd hoped for but it was a start. She now knew that not everything about her past was absolue. A seed of doubt had been planted.

I sighed in content. Seeing that what I had come out to do was more or less accomplished, I turned around and headed back for the village. After all, it was still fairly early into the night and the party had just begun.


	5. Chapter 5 - Changelings and Training

**Author Notes:**

Hey all,

This is HailToTheSnail (yes, I changed my name) returning for another chapter for all my loyal fans. I know it's been a while since I last uploaded but I got a job for the summer and I've been working my ass off to make money for a new computer (the one I currently have is kinda bad). Anyways, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It won't be nearly as exciting as the previous ones but you'll understand why it's necessary.

Without further ado, the story.

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 5 - Changelings and Training**

It hadn't been that long since we arrived back in Magnolia Town. Maybe ten to twenty minutes. Yet I was already getting bored.

I sighed. It just wasn't the same as being on an adventure.

As the six of us trekked through town and towards the guild hall, Natsu and Happy were glad to be home and expressed it visibly.

Gray frowned. "I can't believe we did all of that for a lousy gate key," he groaned.

"Yeah and that reward was big money," Happy added.

"Well, I'm sorry that that wasn't an official job," Erza replied. "Just be glad that someone got something out of it," she then glanced at Lucy and smiled at seeing how happy the celestial wizard was with her prize.

Although not receiving a reward for all of our hard work and efforts was kinda disappointing, it didn't dampen my mood. In fact, remembering what had happened after the party raised it slightly. I smiled in content.

"What's got you in such a good mood, Nate?" Gray asked curiously. "Lucy's the only one who should be happy. She got to keep the gate key."

My smile widened. "Well, we helped rescue an entire village from their curse. What's there not to be happy about?" I asked.

Gray took in my words and smiled. I was right after all.

I continued. "Besides, I just remembered that even without the reward we can still make a few hundred thousand jewels," I said.

The ice wizard frowned. "How?" he asked. He seemed genuinely curious.

I pulled a vial from my pocket. "With this," I said, showing the contents of the bottle to my friends. They looked more or less confused.

"I don't get it, Nate," Lucy frowned. "How's that bottle of liquid gonna make us money?"

I raised a brow. "Lucy, this is liquified Moon Drip," I replied.

They were all surprised. Gray whistled. "I heard that a bottle of that stuff is worth a hundred thousand Jewels on its own," he commented.

"For real?" Lucy asked in surprise. She then looked at me. "How many bottles of Moon Drip do you have?" she asked aggressively.

I reeled back slightly. "I've got about three dozen on me right now," I said. "As for the rest of it, the village chief is keeping it stored for me. Since there's six of us, we'll each make out with around four hundred thousand Jewels."

Happy was more or less content that I'd included him. While Gray frowned. "Don't get me wrong, Nate. I'm glad that we're getting something out of this," he started gratefully. "But the numbers just don't add up."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know," I replied. "I only included two of the batches. The third is going towards our peace offering to the Master."

They just looked at me and I had to say their stares were unnerving. That is until Lucy pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. It was really hard to breathe.

"Oh my god, you're the best, Nate," Lucy exclaimed, squeezing harder.

Gray smiled and patted me on the shoulder. "You might actually have saved us from being outright murdered," he said.

I frowned. I sincerely hoped he wasn't serious.

After Lucy had let go of me and I checked that all my ribs were intact, I let out a sigh of relief. Jesus, that woman had a grip. "Anyways, I'll see you all back at the guild," I said as I began to walk away. That was a mistake.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Erza asked.

I turned around. "To check up on Sarah," I replied. "It's been a couple days since we've last been in Magnolia Town and I'm worried."

"Are you forgetting that you still face punishment from Master Makarov regardless of whether or not you bear a peace offering," Erza continued.

I frowned. This was going to be a bit more difficult than I'd expected. "C'mon Erza," I started lightly. "I just want to check up on Sarah before I head over to the guild. It won't even take that long. Maybe twenty to thirty minutes. I promise it'll be quick."

Whether she felt bad about what had happened at the beach on Galuna Island or cared about a child's wellbeing, she let me go. "Very well," Erza granted. "As long as you return to the guild in thirty minutes."

She then turned to the rest of our group. "As for the rest of you, you're all coming back with me to face your punishment," she said as she dragged Natsu away with Lucy and Gray following behind her. They didn't dare try and escape.

I waved at them as they left and started back on my way home.

While heading back to my place, I received plenty of staring and wondered what everyone was looking at. It was then that I looked down at my myself and realized what a mess I was. I looked like I'd been through hell itself.

Deciding on a bath and a new set of clothes when I got home, my mind slowly drifted to the person who'd been taking care of Sarah. I wasn't exactly worried of who Natsu had chosen. Far from it actually. I knew that when it came down to it, the dragon slayer was a lot more reliable than he seemed. No, I was far more curious about who he'd roped into doing it. I'd even made a little guessing game out of it.

While I was having fun playing my little game, I had reached my place and stepped inside. I then took the flight of stairs two steps at a time and reached my apartment door. I fished for my keys and unlocked it.

"Oh, you're back?" someone asked.

I blinked. I wasn't expecting this… though I really should have. It was the obvious choice if one thought about it. "Mira?" I asked.

She smiled kindly. "Yes, that's my name," she said cheekily as she dried her hands with a towel. Seemed she had been washing dishes.

I shook my head. "Sorry," I said quickly. "I'm just surprised."

Mira continued to smile. "That's alright," she said. "Natsu hardly gave me any notice either. He just left me a note on my doorstep."

I chuckled at that. That sounded like something he'd do. "I didn't mean to impose on you by the way," I said honestly. "If I'd known that was how Natsu had asked, I'd have found someone else to look after Sarah for me."

Mira shook her head. "Oh, it was no trouble at all," she reassured. "Sarah was nothing short of an angel. She even drew me a wonderful picture."

At that I smiled. It seemed my little sister had a love for drawing. "Well, I'm glad that everything went well," I commented in relief. "You have no idea how much it means to me for you to do this. So thank you."

Mira waved it off. "As I said before, it was no trouble at all."

Before I could say more, the little girl in question came out of the bathroom. When Sarah saw me, her eyes widened and she skipped over to give me a hug. "Where did you go?" she asked curiously. "I was really worried."

I ruffled Sarah's hair, eliciting a giggle from her. "Well if you must know," I started, making her eager to hear what I had to say. "We traveled to an island where the villagers were under a curse that turned them into demons at night."

She frowned. "That sounds scary," she said.

I shook my head. "They weren't scary," I replied. "In fact, they were very nice."

"What happened to them?" she asked impatiently. It looked like she really wanted to know what happened to those villagers.

"It turned out that they were demons all along," I said with a shrug. "Their memory was affected by a powerful spell that was being cast on the island. Its known as the Moon Drip ritual and it was being performed by the bad people."

She furrowed her brows. Then she smiled and ran off quickly.

Not expecting that, I noticed that Mira was giggling. "What's so funny?" I asked.

She continued to laugh as she tried to reign herself in. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized. "You two just look so adorable together."

I blushed but after a moment joined in as well. It felt good to laugh after having gone on such a difficult and challenging job request. "Anyways," I said, having calmed down. "Are you heading back to the guild hall now?"

Mira nodded. "I still have some work to do," she said.

"Would you mind waiting for me?" I asked. I looked down at myself in disgust. "Mind you I might need a bath and a new set of clothes before heading out."

"Sure," she agreed as she went over to watch Sarah, who'd started drawing. "I don't mind waiting for a bit."

Seeing as it was rude to keep a girl waiting, I quickly grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom. I turned on the water and let it rise before stepping in myself. It was warm to the touch and I was tempted to just sit in there for the rest of the day… but Mira was waiting for me outside and I had a punishment to face.

I quickly rinsed myself and stepped out of the bath, drying myself off with a fresh towel and changing into a new set of clothes. They were far more simple than what I'd been wearing earlier and consisted of a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans.

Looking once more in the mirror to see that I was somewhat presentable, I stepped out of the bathroom and checked on the girls.

Mira had taken to sitting on the bed with Sarah drawing on her lap. The former brushing her hand through the little girl's hair soothingly and humming a song to help Sarah concentrate on her drawing. It was adorable.

As much as I hated to ruin the moment. I ruined the moment.

I walked into the room and knocked on the wall to get their attention. "Are we going or what?" I asked playfully.

Finishing up something in her drawing, Sarah hopped off of Mira's lap and placed her pencil and paper on the desk. "Let's go!" she said enthusiastically. "Romeo said he'd show me the fire magic he learned from his dad!"

I smiled as we walked out of our place. "Oh, really?" I replied. "Do you think they're anything like Natsu's flames?"

Sarah wrinkled her nose. "I hope not," she said.

"It is possible though," Mira hummed. "Romeo does look up to Natsu a lot."

"Natsu's too wild. I don't want Romeo to be like that," Sarah said plainly. She seemed adamant about this. "He's really sweet the way he is."

I raised a brow at that. Was she crushing on Romeo? Before I could question Sarah further on the subject, she skipped off ahead of Mira and me, giving us the excuse that we were walking too slow for her liking.

I looked at Mira. "Is she…" I trailed off.

Mira nodded. "I think she has a crush on Romeo," she replied with a smile. "Isn't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

I frowned and then shrugged in acceptance. It was bound to happen sooner or later. It was just sooner rather than later. Besides, it was just a little crush. What was the worst that could come out of this at their age?

While I was coming to terms with this little crush of Sarah's, Mira had gone quiet. I didn't even register this until the guild hall came into sight. I looked over at her in worry. She normally wasn't the silent type from what I've gathered.

"Hey, Mira," I said, trying to get her attention. "Are you alright?"

Seeing as she didn't respond, I snapped my fingers in front of her face. That seemed to do the trick. "Oh, what?" she asked suddenly.

"I asked if you were alright," I repeated. "You seem a little out of it."

Mira didn't reply right away and we kept on walking. It was only a block away from the guild hall did she speak up. "We were worried you know," she said quietly. I almost didn't hear her. "What you guys did was suicidal…"

A pang of guilt welled up in my chest and I wanted to apologize. I only stopped when I saw that she still had something to say. I stayed quiet.

Mira continued. "When we found out that you guys had taken one of the S-class requests we feared the worst," she said. "They don't always go the way you expect it…" her eyes were watery. "Sometimes people _die_."

I knew what Mira was recalling. It was the last S-class request she ever went on. It was the day she'd lost her sister. Now I _really_ wanted to apologize. "I'm sorry if I trudged up bad memories," I said dejectedly.

Mira smiled gently. "That's alright," she replied. "As long as you now understand how dangerous S-class requests are, I don't mind reliving a bad memory or two."

I smiled back. "You're too kind, you know that?"

Mira giggled. "You're going to make me blush," she teased.

We shared a relieving laugh as we reached the guild hall and Sarah. Though the little girl didn't stay with Mira and I for long after we entered the building, having quickly darted over to where Romeo was sitting by himself.

Seeing that amused me and I was sure to tease her about that in the future.

"Anyways, Nate," Mira started. I focused my attention back on her. "I've got some work to do behind the counter. I'm glad we had this conversation though."

I smiled. "Yeah, me too," I replied lightheartedly.

Mira smiled back… though a chill ran up my spine soon after. "Just to let you know though," she said. "If you ever steal another S-class request without the Master's permission, I'll _forcefully_ drag you back myself."

I watched her go nervously. I really hoped she was kidding.

Seeing as I'd just lost all company that I'd come here with, I scanned the room for Natsu and the others. It only seemed fair to do so considering that I promised Erza that I'd meet them at the guild hall.

While I was searching for them in the crowds, my eyes landed on someone who caught my attention. I then noticed Erza and the others hovering near the job bulletin. Maybe Erza could wait for a few more minutes.

I walked over to my target and slid onto the bench opposite of him. "You're Alzack, right?" I asked, looking at the man across from me.

Alzack looked up from his gun that he'd been polishing. "Yeah, that's me," he replied courteously. "Do you need something?"

I nodded. "I was wondering if you could help me," I started, placing my holstered gun on the table. "I need someone to teach me how to use this properly. I'm trying to learn how to control my own magic but it's taking longer than expected. I was wondering if you could teach me a bit of marksmanship in the meantime?"

I continued. "I don't expect you to teach me anything too fancy. Just enough to be able to shoot straight," I said clearly. "Of course, I'd also pay you for the lessons," I then sold him my best smile. "So how about it?"

He seemed to contemplate my offer. "Alright, I'll help," he replied, looking up at me seriously. "When would you like to get started?"

"As soon as your willing," I said eagerly. Hell, I was ready whenever he was.

"Alright, why don't we start now," Alzack replied.

Okay, maybe not whenever he was.

"Like now, now?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, at this very moment."

I frowned. That wasn't going to work out. "Well, you see, I can't really right now," I replied. "I'm being punished quite soon…"

Alzack raised a brow. "Oh, I see. So you were the other one that left on that S-class request. Natsu roped you in, huh?" he asked. Though it was more of a statement than a question. As if he was simply asking for a confirmation.

I shook my head. "Nah, I chose to go," I replied truthfully. "Got a little too excited for my first job request and just went along with it."

He nodded, accepting my reply. "So what time would work for you then?"

"How about tomorrow morning?" I suggested politely. I wanted to start as soon as possible. "Maybe around seven, possibly earlier?"

Alzack put his now polished gun. "That's fine by me," he agreed. "Though we may need to cut it a bit short. I've got a job with Bisca later tomorrow."

I smiled earnestly. "Thanks, Alzack," I replied. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

He nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed.

Seeing as he probably wanted to be left alone and I had intruded on him in the first place, I left him to his devices and made my way over to Erza and by extension, certain doom from the Master Makarov.

They were still standing near the job bulletin so when I was behind them, I asked, "Are you seriously looking for another job already?"

Lucy sighed. "Apparently," she replied in exasperation.

Before I could say anything more, Natsu ripped a flyer off of the board and walked to an empty table. "Alright, guys," he said. "I think I've got our next job!"

Erza scowled. "I'm not letting any of you leave here until the Master returns."

"Even if the Master doesn't return until tomorrow?" I replied innocently. "I'm pretty sure that's got to be some form of kidnapping?"

She ignored me in favor of following Natsu. A little rude…

He grinned. "It's a whole five hundred thousand Jewels to find out what the text on this request means," the dragon slayer said happily. "This sounds like a winner to me. What do you think, Happy?"

The feline nodded. "Sounds good to me," he replied.

"So it's a translation job," Gray interjected. "That's an odd request for a wizard guild."

Lucy pointed at the request. "The writing is so faint," she observed. "No one's going to be able to figure out what that means."

"Yeah, it's also in the ancient language," Gray added. "Who's going to be able to read it?"

"Hold on," Happy said quickly, drawing our attention back to the request. "It's written in modern letters as well."

"I thought I told you no jobs," Erza said firmly.

Sadly no one seemed to be listening to the S-class wizard. I felt sorry for her.

"Oh yeah," Natsu said in realization. "I can totally read that," his eyes scanned the paper as he got ready to read what was on it.

Knowing what was about to happen, I backed away from the table slowly—

"Ugo deru," Natsu started to speak the incantation.

—Fuck it, I straight up ran away from the table. Everyone who'd been standing with Natsu watched me go in confusion.

Guessing that I was probably far enough, I turned around and witnessed the rest of the incantation. Which is to say all the colorful lights surrounding my friends.

It soon died down and I waited for the inevitable.

'Gray' started to shiver. "Why's it so cold?" he asked suddenly.

Elfman, who'd been talking to his sister earlier, quirked a brow, "What? Ice wizards don't get cold, you big crybaby," he said.

"No seriously guys, it's freaking cold," 'Gray' exclaimed again.

Startled back into existence, 'Lucy' put a hand to her back. "Why does my chest feel so heavy?" she asked.

'Gray' looked over at 'Lucy'. "What the hell!" he yelled.

Soon enough, everyone around the table started to come to the same conclusion. Natsu had swapped with Loki, Gray had swapped with Lucy, and Erza had swapped with Happy. And they hadn't swapped just anything…

"They all swapped bodies," I murmured.

 _WHACK! SLAM! THWACK!_

"Ow," I cried as I rubbed the top of my head, where each of them had taken a turn hitting me. "Why'd you have to go and do that?"

"You could have warned us!" 'Happy' exclaimed. That was Erza, right?

I rolled my eyes. "And so you're first instinct was to stay and see what Natsu's incantation would do?" I asked them seriously.

'Gray' made to reply but cut himself short. Seemed he understood.

Before I had to deal with the others yelling at me, a voice resonated from the entrance of the guild hall. "So the spell has been cast," it voiced.

We all turned and saw Master Makarov enter. "Master," they cried, running up to the old man. "You're back."

He nodded his head. "I had noticed that request up on the board," he explained, getting right into the thick of the situation. "By reading the incantation written on request, you have cast a powerful spell of mind transference. That is known as Changeling."

"Sounds ominous," I said quietly, though 'Gray' heard.

"Don't say any more," he demanded. "The Master's scaring us enough as it is."

'Lucy' then tapped 'Loki' on the shoulder. "So you're Natsu, right?" she asked in a passive-aggressive tone.

"Yeah," he replied nervously.

'Lucy' drew him in close. "You complete idiot! Look what you've done!"

"Me?" 'Loki' asked, taken aback. He yelled back at the blonde. "All I did was try to read the stupid job request!"

"That's enough, Lucy… I mean Gray," Master Makarov said. "For wizards, this spell switches more than just your bodies. It switches your magic as well."

He continued. "Also if this spell isn't reversed within thirty minutes, you will never return to the way you were before… or so goes the legend."

They all panicked and 'Loki' ran over to Mira. "Do you know how much time has gone by?" he asked her.

"Sixteen," she replied quickly. _Really_ quickly. "So you have fourteen minutes left."

While everyone whose bodies were swapped began to panic, I slowly made my way over to Mira, which didn't go unnoticed by her. "Hey, Nate," she greeted. "Did you need something from me?"

I didn't reply right away, instead of taking the time to find amusement in the situation that my friends were in. It was like watching the perfect practical joke unravel before your very own eyes. "So this is their punishment?" I finally asked.

Mira started to smile. "What makes you say that?" she replied.

"The fact that you knew the exact moment that the spell was cast," I said. "Now why would you know that otherwise?"

She continued to smile. "Maybe it was all just a happy coincidence," she replied innocently. "Is that really too far of a stretch?"

I quirked a brow. "For this guild… yeah, yeah it is," I said.

We stared each other down for a moment before Mira finally caved. She sighed. "Alright, fine. You're right," she conceded. "Just don't go telling Natsu and the others. The Master would be angry if you did. He's been looking forward to this."

I snorted at her worry. "You think I'd give up _this_ to get a pat on the back from each of them?" I asked redundantly. I then shook my head. "Hell no, I wouldn't."

Satisfying the demoness' worries, I went back to watching the others panic as it seemed they were going to have to live each other's lives forever. Luckily for them though, just the right person arrived at the door.

"Don't worry guys," that person said. "We'll fix you guys up."

Everyone looked to the door once more and 'Gray' exclaimed happily. "Levi, it's you!"

The blue haired girl winked and made her way over to affected wizards with Jet and Droy following close behind her.

"I'm so glad that you've come to help us," 'Gray' said gratefully.

Levi smiled. "Anything for my girl," she then whispered something to 'Gray', which probably had to do with the novel Lucy was writing.

"What are you going to do?" 'Loki' asked.

Levi walked over to the table where the request was and sat down. She then pulled out a pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses. A magic item that let the user read texts at incredible speeds. "I do know a thing or two about ancient texts," she said confidently. "So I'll take a quick look at the incantation written…"

I tuned out the rest of what they were talking about and let my mind wander. It was something of a past time for me. Something I really enjoyed doing when I had nothing else to do. Just thinking.

My mind drifted back to Galuna Island and hummed in satisfaction. Contrary to what I first thought would happen, it didn't seem as if my appearance in the Fairy Tail universe had changed much. Nothing had deviated too much and everything that I had done could have been easily accomplished by the others.

It was just so inconsistent… maybe it was to throw me in a loop.

"Are you alright my boy?" someone asked.

I looked up suddenly and saw the Master beside me, sitting on the bar which I was leaning against. I nodded. "Yeah I'm good, Master," I replied. "I'm just thinking about a few things. That's all."

He quirked a brow. "Like what, child?" he continued.

I shrugged and went back to gazing. "Stuff like my magic mostly," I lied smoothly. "I just don't know how to go about training it, you-" I quickly raised my hand and grabbed the object that had been flying towards my face.

I looked at it curiously. It was a slip of paper with my name written on one side.

I looked at the Master curiously. "I don't get it," I said.

"Look closer," the Master replied.

Heeding his words, I looked at the paper closely. I took notice of the number zero and the Jewel symbol underneath my name. I then witnessed the zero flicker before it became the number one. Interesting…

"That is a Magic Contract," the Master explained. "It's used to keep tabs on how much one person owes another."

I frowned. "What's this got to do with me?" I asked.

"That's how we're going to train your magic," he replied. "For however long that number continues to increase. That's how much Jewels you'll owe me for all of that training."

I nodded, deeply interested now. I always loved these kinds of deals. I hid a growing smile. "That's a bastardly way of training," I said accusingly.

Master Makarov shrugged. "That's how I was taught and if it worked for me, it should work for you as well," he finished.

I stared at the Magic Contract for a bit longer before pocketing it. It seemed like a reasonable goal to achieve. Something to strive for.

Before I could question the Master anymore, someone shrieked in excitement from across the room. "I got it, I got!" Levy shouted, completely ecstatic. "I think I know how to reverse the spell!"

Hearing that, Master Makarov made his way over which made me subconsciously follow him while thinking about my magic training. How many hours of training would I need to put in a day? In a week? In a month?

I frowned. I needed to think about this a lot more before I actually went about doing it.

Coming back to reality, I watched and listened as Levy recited the reversal spell waiting for my friends to return to their former selves. Though I couldn't help but think I was forgetting something.

"-Ured ogu!" Levi finished, standing back to see the effects of her reversal spell.

The same rainbow lights from before appeared again and I suddenly felt very, very strange. It was as if someone was trying to rip my body from myself… oh, I saw what was going on now. That's what I'd forgotten.

Everything blacked out for a second before I opened my eyes quickly.

Was I in for a surprise…

The first thing that I'd noticed was that everything had gotten bigger, and I meant a _lot_ bigger, as in barely see above the table bigger.

"What the-" I started before looking down at myself.

I soon realized who's body I'd swapped with when I saw the short stubby arms and the white wizard coat (Along with aching muscles and joints). It'd been with none other than the guild master himself. Master Makarov.

I frowned. "Um, Levy? I think you might not have got the reversal spell quite right…" I finished lamely.

I looked up and it seemed my words were unnecessary as nearly everyone in the guild hall had swapped with someone and were in a frenzy. Though she did manage to reverse the spell on both Lucy and Gray.

"Well, that didn't go as planned," someone to my left said.

I looked over and saw myself. Though I didn't faze me, which I think impressed the Master considering he'd raised one of my brows… scratch that, it did freak me out, I was just better at internalizing shit.

I shrugged. "This is just your punishment after all," I replied. "I'm sure you know how to reverse it."

He scrunched his brows. "I'm surprised you found out. How'd you know?" he asked.

I then pointed at Mira… well, her body at least. God this was actually getting really confusing, really fast. "Next time you try and do something like this, don't pick the kindest and most honest person in the guild to help you plan it out," I said plainly. "Pick someone more along the lines of a villain," I finished with an evil grin.

He sighed. "Should've known picking Mira for her looks was a bad idea," he mumbled quietly, though it wasn't quiet enough. I heard every single word he said. It was slightly disturbing how perverted he was.

"I'm going to go calm everyone down now," the Master continued. "Don't do anything crazy with my body," he said tersely. "As I said earlier, you're fully capable of using all my magic on accident without control. Do you understand?" he asked firmly.

I shook my head. I really hoped that I didn't accidentally use his magic. I knew from the story just how devastating it really was.

Satisfied with the answer I'd given him, he stalked off in my body to calm down the others and reassure them that there was nothing to worry about.

As I waited patiently for everyone to calm down, I started to feel something warm rising in my body… well, the Master's body but my point still stood. Something inside of me was getting warmer by the second.

Knowing that it was a bad idea to try anything with this feeling as I could perhaps destroy the guild hall or even kill everyone in the building, I tried to distract myself from it. Watching 'Natsu' burn the floor _here_ , watching 'Happy' wallow in self-pity _there_. Though that did little more than delay what was inevitable.

Eventually, the feeling started to really tease me and I decided that a little probing into it couldn't hurt. It wasn't like I was actually going to end up releasing the magic or anything. I was simply going to observe whatever I could if I could.

Glancing over the guildhall one more time and seeing as though the problem wouldn't resolve itself any time soon, I closed my eyes and tried to delve deeper into the feeling inside of myself.

I found it… and there was only one word that I could use to describe it. Overwhelming.

It was suffocating. The amount of raw energy condensed into this body… it was more than any single man or woman should be able to hold within themselves. Like something only a god should be able to wield.

Taking short breaths, I slowly paced out my breathing after my initial contact until my breathing had become less sporadic. Seeing as I'd calmed down at least a little bit, I cautiously continued to observe what I now assumed to be the Master's magic energy or at least what I assumed to be a part of it.

Although at first, it overwhelmed me, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was before. In fact, I daresay that it was soothing in a way. Like being embraced by someone that you loved and that loved you back.

"So this is the Master's magic," I muttered to myself. "It really does reflect who he is," I continued to observe the Master's magic lazily. Studying it. Intrigued by the complexity and absolute power it withheld.

Just as I was about to make contact with it, I was drawn from myself when I was hit across the head with something _very_ solid.

 _THUNK!_

I clutched at my head in agony. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" I said rapidly, cursing all the while as the pain continued to flare.

Someone sighed. "What did I say about meddling with my magic?"

I looked up meekly and saw Master Makarov frowning at me. I smiled hesitantly. "Don't do anything with it," I replied, my smile slowly turning into a cheeky grin.

The Master rolled his eyes before turning his attention to everyone he had gathered. "Alright, children," he said calmly. "I'll change you back as long as you promise to never break guild rules ever again."

"What!" 'Cana' exclaimed. "But some of us didn't even break guild rules! We were just brought into this by _those_ idiots!" she made a point of pointing at our group as if it wasn't obvious enough.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" 'Loki' asked as he tried to ignite his hands to no avail.

'Cana' smirked. "Looks like the little dragon can no longer use his fire magic," she said mockingly. "What are you going to do now?"

Right as 'Loki' was about to throw a punch, he was slammed into the floor by an enlarged fist. "Would you two stop fighting!" the Master yelled menacingly.

'Natsu' frowned. "Gramps! That's my body you're messing with!" he shouted angrily. Though he was ignored by the Master.

"As if none of you break the rules on a daily basis," the old man muttered quietly. Only I heard him though because I was right there. "Fighting in the guild hall _is_ against the rules."

Nevertheless, Master Makarov lifted his arms and started muttering a spell under his breath, too quiet for even me to hear.

When he finished, a bright light erupted from his hands and the same strange tingling feeling from before flowed through my body. I closed my eyes and opened them again to find myself in my own body. I smiled.

"I'm going to miss being young and handsome," Master Makarov said wistfully.

I shrugged. "I won't miss being old," I said jokingly.

He glared at me before turning back to everyone else. "Now is everyone in their right bodies?" he asked in concern.

Everyone looked at themselves. "Yeah," they all chorused.

The Master sighed. "Good, now we-"

He was quickly interrupted by Natsu as he sent a flying kick at Elfman. Throwing the big man into a few tables. "How do you like that big guy!" Natsu exclaimed, smiling with his hands ignited. "Fight me!"

Not another word needed to be said before Gray punched Natsu into the wall across the hall. "That's for screwing with our bodies, asshole," he said.

Knowing where this was going, I slowly inched my way towards the bar and away from what was soon to be an average day at the guild hall. When I passed Master Makarov, I saw the look of horror on his face and patted him on the shoulder in reassurance. "Well, your lesson stuck with them for ten seconds," I said positively. "But hey, that's ten more seconds than nothing, right?"

The Master didn't even acknowledge me and fell to the floor in despair.

I walked past him with a goofy grin plastered across my face. I _really_ loved this guild.

* * *

By the time we left the guild hall, Sarah had fallen asleep and I had to carry her back to our home. It was a rather enjoyable walk in the cool night breeze and I spent a lot of that time thinking about the Magic Contract that the Master had given me.

Once we'd gotten home and I'd tucked Sarah in for bed, I pulled it from my pocket and grimaced at the number present.

"Five hundred Jewel already," I mumbled to myself. "Is the Master trying to rob me of all my money?"

But it was all going to be worth it in the end. I was going to have real magic. Something that I'd always wanted as a kid.

"Does he expects me to figure this out quickly?" I asked myself. "Maybe that's why the price is rising so quickly."

Seeing this as a great opportunity to practice my magic, I placed the Magic Contract on the table and hovered a hand overtop of it.

Trying to bring forth that feeling from Clover Canyon once more, I reached deep within myself to search for it.

Nothing. I felt nothing.

Frowning slightly, I tried again and got the same results. It just didn't seem to want to work.

I sighed. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy to bring forth my magic, but I had at least hoped that I would feel some kind of spark no matter how small it might be. Knowing that sulking wouldn't get me anywhere, I went back to practicing.

This went on for nearly two hours before I banged the table in frustration. I wasn't getting anywhere with this.

Even though I knew I had magic, it was saddening to know that I couldn't use it. What was the point in having magic, if I couldn't even put it to use?

Slightly discouraged by this revelation, I tried once more. Though I didn't try nearly as hard as my last two attempts.

I closed my eyes, planning on giving up for the night when I felt a tingle in my palm.

Brought back to awareness, I opened my eyes and looked down at the Magic Contract. It read five hundred and fifty Jewels…

… Though I swear I saw it flicker down a number. But just as quickly as it came, it passed and I had to wonder if I was just exhausted.

"It couldn't be," I said quietly. "I'm probably just seeing things."

I looked outside and saw that it was pitch black. I'd been doing this for way longer than I should have. I had firearms training with Alzack tomorrow.

Knowing I had to get up early tomorrow, I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and walked over to my bed. I took a seat at the edge and rested my arm against my thigh and my head against my arm.

Maybe Master Makarov was wrong. What if I wasn't meant to be a wizard? I mean sure I had the magic energy but did I have the potential?

I sighed and pulled out my covers, not bothering to remove my clothing. I was too exhausted from today to bother.

I laid down on my bed and looked up at the ceiling, lazily following the shadows created by the curtains and moonlight.

The thoughts wouldn't leave my head. They were going to haunt me until I figured out how to control my magic.

My eyelids started to droop and I gladly succumbed to it.

* * *

I yawned loudly and stretched my arms as I walked lazily through town.

It was fairly early in the morning and I was on my way to meet up with Alzack. He'd told me yesterday after the whole body swapping fiasco that we could start the training earlier the next day. So here I was at five in the morning, walking towards the place that Alzack had told me to meet him.

"It's too early for this shit," I mumbled to myself. "Why'd I think that morning was a good idea… it never is," I continued to trudge in misery.

Once I'd made it out of town, I looked down at the quick sketch that Alzack had drawn for me. It was supposed to be a map of the place we'd meet but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. I sighed. I'd better get searching.

Luckily for me, it wasn't quite as hard to find him as I thought it'd be. Turned out that Alzack had been waiting near a tree for me just out of town. "Hey, Alzack. Are you ready?" I asked tiredly. He nodded and ushered me to follow him.

I trailed behind him as we hiked further away from Magnolia and into the mountains.

It was really nice out and I loved the cool morning breeze as we traveled through the lush environment. It was breathtaking, to say the least. Nature here in Fiora was so much more vibrant and colorful to my dreary planet.

Eventually, he stopped and I almost bumped into him by his abrupt halt. "We're here," he replied to my unspoken question.

I looked around the clearing and noticed that there wasn't a single target in sight. I frowned. "What am I supposed to shoot at?" I asked in confusion.

Alzack looked around for a bit before he settled on a large oak tree across the small clearing. "Shoot at that tree," he ordered.

I nodded and drew my gun, quickly taking aim and pulling the trigger.

 _BANG!_

Unfortunately, my shot went wide.

Alzack shook his head. "I see where your first problem lies," he observed. "Your posture is all over the place."

Seeing this as an opportunity, he started to coach me. "Spread your legs apart…"

I widened my stance to the ground.

"Straighten your arms and tighten your grip on the gun…" he continued.

I straightened my arms and tightened my grip.

"Put your target in your sights and aim at it…"

I quickly rushed to aim at the-

"Don't rush it," he said, making me pause. "It doesn't matter how many bullets you shoot if none of them connect."

Taking his words into consideration, I took a deep breath and took aim once more.

Seconds passed and I hasn't shot yet. It wasn't right yet, I could feel it. A few more seconds passed and then I felt it. I took the shot.

 _BANG!_

My bullet grazed the side of the tree and disappointment weighed down on me. I really thought that I had that. I looked up at Alzack.

Instead of berating me, he nodded in approval. "That was good," he said encouragingly. "You follow instructions well. That'll make training you much easier."

I smiled at his compliment. It always felt good to be acknowledged for trying.

"Just remember, Nate," Alzack said, drawing my attention again. "That shooting is an art. You have to think of it as so."

I frowned once more. "What do you mean?" I asked.

He didn't say anything at first and I figured he had decided to ignore my question. So I went back to shooting until I had tired myself out.

I frowned. None of my shots had hit anywhere near the center and I was starting to become a little frustrated. I looked up at Alzack to see that he was completely disregarding me and that drove me a little bit crazier.

I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was nearly seven in the morning. We'd been doing this for two hours already.

As I was about to holster my gun and call it a day, Alzack spoke up, "Are you done with your piece?" he asked suddenly. "Are you abandoning your art?"

I paused mid holster and looked up at Alzack.

He took that as a sign to continue. "Throwing paint on a canvas isn't a painting; shooting a bullet at a target isn't a kill. Patience. That is what we and artists have in common. The capability to continue with our work until we get it perfect _every_ single time."

I took in his words and understood why he hadn't answered me right away. He had been hoping that I would find the answer for myself. Unfortunately, I had failed at that miserably…

… But that didn't mean I couldn't make up for it. I moved my gun away from the holster and set my sights on the target once more.

Taking as much time as I needed, I focused in on the tree that I was shooting at before. I widened my stance, straightened my arms, and tightened my grip. I took a deep breath before I took aim and waited.

It was then that I felt a strong breeze blow over me and I took the shot.

 _BANG!_

My shot seared into the wood at the center of the tree.

A grin spread across my face and I looked at Alzack for approval.

He nodded his head but quirked a brow. "A masterpiece doesn't have just one focal point though," he said mysteriously.

Thankfully, I understood him and took aim once more.

It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. This was more of a character development one where we see that Nate is slowly starting to understand how his magic works and how he can help when in fights. Although he may not be at the level of Natsu or Erza, he will still need to be able to provide some support in the arcs to come. Anyways, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review for updates.


	6. Chapter 6 - Phantom Lord Part One

**Author Notes:**

Hey all,

This is HailToTheSnail again with another chapter for all of my loyal fans. I know, I know. It's been quite a while since I've updated but I swear there's a good reason for it. Work and video games... maybe not the best reason but a reason all the same. By the way, I got my new computer and it's kickass. All of my writing files load up in like half a second. But I know that's not the reason you came here.

I also know a lot of you were asking how Nathaniel looks and I'll tell you right now that it'll all come in due time (Which is just my way of saying I love to hold things back from my viewers). ;)

And now, enjoy the story!

Update: Sorry, if this makes many of my current readers come back for not even a new chapter but there were many grammar mistakes in this chapter that just hurt me to look at. I reread the chapter and fixed most of the mistakes for any new or old readers out there. As an apology, I will let you all know the next chapter will be out on Christmas day with a little something special. :D

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 6 - Phantom Lord Part One**

It had been two weeks since I first started training with Alzack and already I could feel my aching muscles screaming at me to stop. Too bad I was too stubborn to listen because I'd just gotten off yet another training session with him.

Sure I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and fall asleep for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that as Natsu and the others were returning from a job. To be specific, the one that Lucy had intended to do _solo_. Which meant…

"Phantom Lord," I muttered bitterly. The name left such a nasty taste in my mouth.

Knowing what was to come wouldn't happen until later in the day, I relaxed my mind a bit and slowly made my way back into town where people were just beginning to wake up and get started with their daily lives.

By the time I'd gotten through town and home, it was nearly nine in the morning.

"Sarah, wake up!" I shouted as I entered the room.

Probably still a little tired, she tried to pull the covers of her bed over her head. I quickly pulled it back before she could do so.

I rolled my eyes at the attempt though. She'd been doing this for the past two weeks after all. It was nothing new to me. "You're not going back to sleep," I said to her slumbering figure. "It's already past nine in the morning."

Having woken Sarah, I headed over to the bathroom to freshen up after the strenuous workout this morning. I turned on the faucet and waited for the water to run cold before I splashed some of it on my face.

Feeling more awake, I quickly brushed my teeth and exited the bathroom. I then moved over to the kitchen to make breakfast before we headed out to the guild hall… or what was probably going to be left of our guild hall anyways.

Reaching the fridge, I wasn't really in the mood for anything too fancy anymore as I was becoming more anxious with every second that passed. After considering my options, I decided on plain old bacon and eggs. The most basic of breakfasts'.

I grabbed a pan, one of the few kitchen utensils I owned, and placed it on the stove waiting for it to heat up over the fire. When I felt that it was at a sufficient temperature, I scooped a few dollops of butter into it and let the fresh aroma of the melting cream carry throughout the conjoined rooms.

Hearing the shifting of bedsheets, I smiled to myself. It worked every single time.

A few moments later, Sarah stumbled into the room half asleep brought back to the living by the pleasant scent of sizzling bacon and fried eggs.

"Morning, sleepy head," I said teasingly. Though she didn't bite and simply sat down at the table. She was probably still tired. "How was your sleep?"

Sarah yawned. "It was nice," she said before she laid her head against the table.

Sliding the bacon and eggs onto two platters, I brought them over to the table. Taking a seat, I put the two platters down and started on my own, savoring the taste of runny eggs and fatty bacon.

Breakfast had started off as a rather quiet meal as both Sarah and I were exhausted. Gradually though, Sarah started to reach her normal energy levels and I wondered how so many words could come out of her little body so quickly.

"Reedus was showing me his magic yesterday! It was so pretty!" she gushed. "Do you think maybe he'd show me how to use it?"

Taking it into careful consideration, I realized how perfectly Pict Magic would work for her. She loved art after all and if that was any indication, then it was perfect for her. The only question was whether or not she had the capability to use magic.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm sure he'd teach you," I replied honestly. "I just wonder if you have magic running through your veins," I muttered more quietly.

Not having heard the latter, Sarah's eyes beamed. "I really hope he does teach me."

We finished up with breakfast soon after and I started to clear plates while Sarah went off to draw in the other room.

After a few minutes of washing the dishes, I remembered something that we were supposed to do. "Sarah!" I called from the kitchen. "I almost forgot that we're going to meet Natsu and the others at the train station! Okay?"

I heard a quiet 'yes' and went back to washing, which I finished soon after.

We then left the apartment and out into the town where everyone was now hustling about, trying to push past each other to get to where they needed… unfortunately, we were left in that very same predicament.

Weaving our way through the crowd, we made our way to the station and got there with five minutes to spare before the train arrived—

 _TOOT! TOOT!_

—Or it was arriving right now.

The train slowed it's approach as it entered the station and came to full stop. The doors were opened and hordes of people climbed out.

As I held onto Sarah to make sure she didn't get dragged into the crowd of people, I scanned the crowds looking for pink hair (cause let's be honest that was a rare sight).

Eventually, I spotted them a bit further down the platform and we made our way over to them. "Hey, guys! Over here!" I exclaimed, waving a hand.

Natsu was the first to take notice, probably because of his dragon hearing, and grinned at us. "Hey, Nate!" he said as he walked over. Everyone followed him after seeing us as well. "How's training treating you?"

I winced as would my body if it could. "Tiring… very tiring," I replied.

Erza frowned. "Would you like my help?" she offered kindly. "I'm sure Alzack is doing his best, but I doubt he's very proficient in hand to hand combat or swordplay. If you'd like to learn either of those, I'd be willing to help."

I saw Natsu freeze and pale, which in turn made me think of the worst. "No thanks, Erza," I said slowly. "I'm not really ready for that yet. Maybe later?"

She eyed me for a moment before nodding her head.

Our little party then left the station, heading back towards the guild hall to tell others that they've returned.

I turned to Lucy. "So how was the job?" I asked. "Was it as fun as you thought it'd be?"

She groaned. "It was meant to be a solo mission," she said, holding up the request for me to see the details listed.

I giggled to myself. "Seriously, Lucy?" I asked. "You offered to clean someone's house? You could do so much better."

Lucy groaned again. "Don't remind me," she said in exasperation. "The man was also such a pervert. He made me wear some revealing maid costume."

I frowned. "And you let him?"

She sighed. "I did…" she said miserably. "It was just my first mission and I thought that maybe it'd make me seem like a better wizard."

I shook my head. "And what about Erza?" I whispered, not wanting her to overhear me. "Did she wear the outfit?"

Lucy nodded. "Surprisingly, she did," she replied. "Something about a lasting impression for my first solo mission… not that it was much of a solo job request, in the end, considering all things."

Natsu chose this moment to wrap an arm around Lucy. "Cheer up, Lucy," he said with a smile. "We're a team, right? Teams do things together."

"Besides,"Gray added. He added the next part miserably. "Natsu and I did almost all the work. You and Erza just stood there for the old pervert to ogle over."

"That is not true!" she shouted. "W-we poured him water and stuff…" she soon realized how pointless her argument was and it slowly fell off.

Our group lulled into a dead silence.

Lucy dropped to the ground. "Oh god, I'm basically just selling my body for money," she cried. "I'm no better than a prostitute."

"Good job, Gray," Happy commented.

"Me?" he replied in shock. "How is this my fault?"

"Because you spoke to her last before she started crying," Natsu answered.

Gray was at a loss for words and abandoned reasoning. Instead, he just tried to pick a fight with Natsu for making sense. "Like you're any better than me dragon boy," he said. "You almost let Lucy be taken as a slave by a Vulcan."

At that, Lucy just cried harder. "I really am a whore, she said. Though I think I was the only one to hear her say that.

Fire and ice continued to bicker while Lucy sat on the ground, completely forgotten. It was kind of embarrassing how they could just do this in public… they were drawing the attention of nearly everyone around us.

I glanced at Erza. She was frowning. "Not one for attention I see," I said.

The redhead shook her head. "It's not that," she replied. "It's more than just people staring at us. It's like they pity us or something."

I quirked a brow. "And being associated with these people," I gestured at what our friends were doing. "Isn't something they should pity?"

She continued to frown. "It's not the same," she said, completely certainty. "They're pitying us about something else. Something that we don't know about."

I knew what she was talking about… and she wasn't going to like it.

After everyone else had finished up with their little drama, we continued our trek towards what was inevitably our broken down guild hall.

When we were within sight of the building, Happy pointed out that there were things protruding out of the guild hall. "Hey, guys. Look," he said, pointing towards the building. "What's wrong with our guild hall?"

We all looked at where he was looking and started to lightly jog towards our destination, curious to see what Happy was pointing out.

As we arrived on site, Lucy's eyes widened. "Who could've done this?" she asked.

What we were staring at was worse than I'd thought. The pillars that protruded from the building were jagged and rough, piercing the building in such a way that it remained standing as if to taunt us. There were at least a dozen of them, each poking out at a different angle making the guild hall look like a sea urchin.

Though I think the worst part of it all wasn't that the building was lost or destroyed, but rather what was speared on a rod of metal in front of the debris. It was our guild emblem… except it was sprayed over with the emblem of the Phantom Lord.

Natsu clenched his fists. "I swear I'm going to beat the crap out of the guy who did this," he said menacingly. It made me take a step away from him.

Luckily Erza came through and placed an arm on Natsu's shoulder holding him in place before he could do anything irrational. "Calm down, Natsu," she said, trying to hold him back. "We should see the Master about this before _you_ do anything stupid."

Unfortunately, he wasn't really willing to listen to reason. "Let go of me, Erza!" he cried angrily. "They have to pay for what they've done."

"Natsu!" I shouted, drawing his attention. "Do you realize how childish you sound?"

I continued. "We don't even know who did this. How do you expect to find the assailant?" I asked, daring for an answer. "We should get some information from the Master before we do anything. Does that sound good?"

Natsu stopped struggling and finally complied, letting his shoulders slump in defeat.

Now that that was dealt with, I turned to Erza and nodded. She then led us to the next place that she knew that the rest of the guild would be, which ended up being the basement of our now ruined guild hall.

When we descended into the basement, the sound of chatter filled my ears and I was glad that people weren't taking this too badly.

When we reached the basement, everyone looked towards us grimly. Maybe they were taking this a bit worse than I thought…

"We're back, Master!" Erza announced as she marched into the room. Unfazed by the moody glances that our guildmates were giving us.

I quickly shooed Sarah over to her friends, knowing that it was probably for the best that she remained oblivious to what was going on.

"Welcome back, my children," he said with his eyes closed in concentration. "How was your trip?" he asked.

"It was pleasant enough," Erza replied. Though I really thought Lucy should be answering these questions. After all, it was her first 'solo' job request.

Erza continued. "But what happened here?" she asked in concern. "Did someone attack the guild while we were gone? Was anyone hurt? Do you know who did it-" she continued to fire off questions until the Master silenced her.

"No, Erza," he said. "The guild wasn't attacked and nor was anyone hurt. As for who did it, we're still looking into-"

"Gajeel Redfox," I blurted unintentionally.

Master Makarov frowned. "The iron dragon slayer of Phantom Lord," he muttered. "That's very possible. It does resemble his handiwork, but-"

 _SLAM! CRACK!_

Before he could finish, Natsu had smashed his fist into the wall. "But what, gramps?" he asked angrily. "He destroyed our guild hall. Why shouldn't we beat the crap out of him."

"Because it's wrong!" the Master shouted.

"And this," Natsu said, motioning around the room. "This isn't wrong?"

"Maiming another human being is much more different than maiming a building," Master Makarov reasoned. "It just isn't right."

"These people need-"

"I'm not talking about this any longer," the Master interrupted.

"But, gramps!" Natsu said, his voice starting to rise. "I'm not going to just let them get away with trashing our place like-"

"That's enough, Natsu!" he shouted, cutting off the dragon slayer. "This discussion is over!" he said as he walked away from our group. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go the washroom and take a leak."

Natsu watched the Master leave. "I don't get it," he said quietly. "Why isn't the old man just as angry as the rest of us? Doesn't he have any sort of pride."

I shook my head as I also watched the Master go to the bathroom. "You don't get it, Natsu," I started. "Master Makarov's probably just as furious as the rest of us. The only reason he doesn't express it is to set an example."

I continued. "The rules of the Council state that violence between the guilds is strictly forbidden," I replied to his question. "If we were to lash out at the Phantom Lord guild right now and injure someone, our guild could be in deep trouble."

Natsu grit his teeth in frustration. "This is so unfair," he said. "They started this fight and now we're not allowed to get payback."

"Natsu, I understand how you feel," Erza pitched in. "But if the Master doesn't want us to retaliate, then we will not retaliate."

After that, our group's attitude went sour and we went over to sit near the bar.

While Lucy started to chat with everyone and try to lighten the mood, I looked around the room for the fuel that was going to light the fires of war.

I saw them across the basement sitting together at a table with the two boys being pissed about the guildhall while the girl was trying to calm them. It was none other than team Shadow Gear.

If I recalled correctly which I was sure I did. Then they were going to be attacked by Gajeel tonight and strung up to a tree as a declaration of war to us of the Fairy Tail guild. I wasn't going to let that happen no matter what.

Ever since joining Fairy Tail, I'd become close with everyone and I meant everyone, which included the likes of Nab, Vijeeter, and Warren. I wasn't just going to sit by and watch while team Shadow Gear took the beating of a lifetime.

I smiled genuinely. Luckily, I had a plan in mind to save them.

I then winced slightly at the thought of it. It still wasn't going to be pain-free but it'd keep them from death's doorstep and that's what mattered.

Knowing I had some time to wait, I spent it talking with Gray on the finer details of molding magic. Which in the end turned out to be very helpful for my magic training which hadn't been going too well lately.

"A very important part about maker magic is not only the detail that is put into the creation but also what its purpose is," Gray said helpfully. "If I were to create a tiger, I wouldn't just visualize its appearance. No, I would remember every bone, every joint, and every muscle in its body. They all work in tandem with one another. Without even one component, it wouldn't be a complete creation."

I slowly digested all the information that Gray had just fed me and searched through it all for something that I could utilize. A couple of words stuck out for me.

 _Visualize everything._

Maybe I just hadn't been looking at my magic in the right way. Maybe I wasn't seeing the whole image. Maybe I was just trying to make my magic do what I wanted it to do, instead of what it was really supposed to do.

I closed my eyes in deep thought. "Thanks, Gray," I said kindly. "I'll take that into consideration when I practice again."

He nodded. "No problem, Nate," he said then joining in on the chat that Natsu and Lucy were having.

It was then that I remembered that I was supposed to be keeping an eye out for team Shadow Gear and it was then that to my great fortune they were heading this way. It was time to put my plan into action.

As they walked by us to no doubt leave the guild hall and head home as it was getting fairly late, I discreetly stuck out my leg and _accidentally_ tripped Jet.

His tumble to the ground did not look pleasant as the speedster had had nothing to grab onto and slammed face first into the ground with a sickening crunch.

I winced, assuming that I'd broken his nose. I think I might have taken it a little too far but it was for a just cause… so it was justifiable, right?

Though to my utter gratefulness, Droy started to laugh uncontrollably at the tragedy that befell his best friend. Something that I had been banking on…

I started to chuckle alongside Droy and gave him a pat on the back. "Oh man, Droy," I started with mirth. "That was a good one. I can't believe you'd trip Jet for the hell of it."

Even if Droy wanted to deny it, he couldn't as he was laughing too hard.

Jet, having heard my words, growled and jumped back to his feet. He then grabbed Droy by the shirt. "What the hell, Droy!" he shouted, clutching at a broken nose. "Why the hell you do that?"

Droy, seeing that his friend was actually mad, tried to tell him that it wasn't him… too bad he was laughing too hard for anyone to understand a word that he was saying. "It wasn't… pfft… I didn't… haha… please… I can't take-"

Droy didn't get to finish as Jet had kicked our table, promptly shutting his friend up. "Stop laughing asshole!" he shouted. "Why the hell you do that? I'm being serious here, Droy."

Droy not really understanding what was going on tried to explain to Jet that he wasn't the one that did it. "Wait, Jet. It wasn't me, I swear," he said frantically.

Too bad Jet wasn't having any of it. He growled in frustration and decked Droy across the face. Which to no one's surprise ended up with the both of them getting into a fight with Levy trying to break them both up.

Natsu, who'd been quite gloomy recently for understandable reasons, started to laugh as he watched his guildmates fight. "Now it feels a lot more like the guild I know," he said.

"Surprised it took this long for it to break out," Gray commented.

"Just don't let me get caught up in it," Lucy added.

I silently agreed with Lucy. I'd rather not be brought into the fight.

Having not heard Erza say anything in a while, I glanced over at her to see if something was wrong. I froze.

It seemed that when Jet had kicked our table, Erza had been in the middle of eating the most precious thing to her… which just so happened to be on the floor now.

I saw her face darken as everyone at our table soon after noticed the cake as well.

"Hey, Erza," Gray started, sweating slightly. "You don't need to do this, I'm sure it was an accident. They don't need to be punished."

"It's too late, Gray," Natsu said in fright. "They're beyond saving."

We all moved out of the way when Erza stood up, not wanting to be in the way of her path to utterly destroy both Jet and Droy.

As the two continued to brawl with others having joined in on coincidence. They didn't notice Erza walking upon them until she was standing right behind them and only then did they notice when they felt Erza's murderous intent behind them.

They both stopped fighting and looked up at her in fear, wondering what they had done to wrong her. They didn't have time to think about it…

* * *

"They'll probably be stuck here for at least a few days," Mira said as she checked up on tweedle dee and tweedle dum.

Jet and Droy groaned from the infirmary beds that they were resting in. They were beaten up pretty bad. Erza had done a number on them.

Levy sighed. "Guys did you really have to fight," she said sadly. "Now I'm going to need to cancel that request that we were going to do tomorrow."

Probably not wanting to disappoint Levy, Jet, and Droy both _attempted_ to stand up to show that they were okay.

They both fell face first into the ground and Mira had to berate them on how stupid they were being.

Levy sighed. "I'll let the client know that we won't be able to do her request tomorrow," she said. "You two rest up and we'll pick something up in a few days."

They both nodded. "Yes, Levy," they chimed.

I stifled a laugh. They were both so head over heels for her it was almost pitiful. Though I did feel guilty about how roughed up they were… but it was for a good cause so therefore it was fine, right? Plus how was I supposed to know that they'd piss of Erza?

Still… I felt kind of bad about it. I'd make it up to them later I suppose.

Looking out the window, I saw that it was getting pretty dark. It was probably best if we all walked together.

"Well I'm heading out," Levy said. "See you guys later."

"Wait, I'll come with you," I offered, knowing that she could still be attacked by Gajeel. "It isn't safe to travel by yourself."

Considering my words, Levy nodded glad for the company on her way home. It just wasn't safe to be alone at this time of night with what just happened.

I then looked over at Mira. "Are you coming with us?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I'll probably stay the night to take care of these two," she said gesturing to both Jet and Droy. "You two be safe though."

I nodded. "We will," I said as I started to follow Levy out of the room.

I stopped once I saw the livid glares that Jet and Droy were giving me. "What?" I asked.

They didn't reply immediately. "You know what, Droy," Jet said. "I think Nate was the one that tripped me."

Droy shook his head in agreement. "I think you're right, Jet," he confirmed. "He just wanted to walk home with Levy."

I sighed. Well, they weren't wrong about the tripping part. I take full responsibility for that… but the intention, I wasn't into Levy or any girl like that for the matter. Not to say I was gay but I just hadn't had any time to connect with others.

"Look, guys, I'm not trying to steal Levy from either of you," I said slowly. "All I care about is that she makes it home safe. You can fight between each other for her on your own time but for now, I don't want her to end up in the infirmary because she was attacked by members of Phantom Lord, capeesh?"

They both slowly nodded, seeing my point of view and lay off with the hostility. "Make sure she gets home safe, Nate," Jet said.

"Or else we won't forgive you," Droy added.

I nodded my head and ran after Levy to catch up with her.

Though it was fruitless as she had been waiting for me on the other side of the door. "You say your goodbye," she asked.

"Yep," I replied seriously. Then I added. "Let's go."

We then left the guild hall and started on our way to the Fairy Tail's female dorms, Fairy Hills. Which just so happened to be across town.

"You know," Levy started, trying to start a conversation. "You didn't need to walk me home. I would have been just fine on my own."

I shrugged. "It's better to be safe than sorry," I replied. "Besides I like the night air, it helps me relax," which indeed it did.

We traveled in silence for the remainder of the trip as we had nothing to say to one another. It was a little frustrating as I had tried to strike up a few conversations with Levy, with it either earning me a one-word reply or a two-word reply, never anything more. It wasn't until we got to the topic of magic did we get anywhere.

"And ever since I've learned about my magical abilities, I just haven't been able to access them," I said, rather dejectedly.

Levy frowned. "Well, that's not too much of a stretch to believe," she said.

I looked at her in confusion which prompted her to continue.

"Essentially you used your magic that one time subconsciously, right?" she asked, confirming what we already knew.

I nodded my head, recalling the events.

She shook her head as if she came up with the answer… which she probably did. "Then it makes sense," she said, starting to explain. "Normally when a kid learns of his magical abilities, he knows how to activate it on will."

I frowned. "Yeah, but wouldn't that also happen for me?" I asked.

Levy nodded. "Normally it would, but you used your magic with your subconscious," she replied knowledgeably. "Which means that your conscious mind didn't have time to register how your magic functions. Do you understand?" she asked.

I nodded, albeit slowly. "I think so?" I replied, a little unsure.

"So in theory, you just have to be able to activate your magic once while conscious and you should be able to activate it any other time," Levy said, then she quickly added. "Though you'd still need to practice your magic."

"Alright, well that makes a lot more sense," I said, realizing why I couldn't even slightly distort Makarov's Magic Contract (which was still going up by the way). "I was wondering why even though I've used my magic before, I couldn't use it now."

By the time that we'd finished our conversation, we'd arrived at Fairy Hills. I turned to leave now that I knew that Levy would be safe at the dorms. "Goodnight, Levy," I said, starting to walk away. "Thanks for the magical help."

Though she stopped me with a tug of my sleeve. "Wait before you go, I wanted to say something," she said seriously.

I stopped and turned around, waiting to hear what she had to say. Knowing how odd the circumstances were, I couldn't help but relate it to those scenes in romance flicks in which the girl professes her love to the guy.

Maybe my thoughts from earlier were clouding my judgment.

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked.

Levy looked like she was having difficulty saying whatever she was going to say, which made me worry if I was right after-

"Do you know how I can get Jet and Droy to understand that I'm not interested in them," she said quickly, trying to hide behind her curtain of blue hair.

I blinked slowly. What?

Levy seemed embarrassed with her request. "I mean I'm not interested in them romantically," she corrected. "I just want to stay as friends."

"Uhh… okay," I said slowly, trying to digest what she had asked.

"It's just that they'd been doting on me ever since I've known them and it's really starting to get on my nerves," Levy said. She then frowned. "Just like how they accused you of tripping Jet just to walk me home. Absurd excuses like that."

I reddened slightly. "You heard that?" I asked in embarrassment.

Levy nodded with a smile. "It was really sweet of you by the way," she added cheekily.

I looked away and we lapsed into an amiable silence. It continued like this for a minute or so before I spoke up, "You know they only do it because they care about you," I said quietly.

Levy frowned. "I know and that makes it just that much harder for me to tell them to stop," she replied.

"Then set some boundaries," I suggested. "You can't just let this keep going on otherwise they'll believe that you relish the attention that they're giving, which just isn't the case, right?"

Levy nodded. "I know… but I just wish that I'd have found somebody by now," she said quietly, not the slightest bit embarrassed.

I let a small smile slide. "You will soon," I muttered.

"Pardon?" Levy asked.

I shook my head. "It's nothing," I said.

She stared at me suspiciously but probably found that whatever I had to hide wasn't worth the effort (even though it totally was). "Well thanks for the advice, Nate," Levy said as she started up the path to the girl's dorm. She then frowned. "Though it may take me a while to _actually_ let them know this… I just don't want to hurt them."

I nodded my head. "Understandable," I replied. I considered it a bit more. "You might want to do it earlier than later though!" I called after her.

Though I didn't get a reply, just a wave goodbye as Levy went inside the building.

I smiled to myself and turned away. It was getting pretty late and it was time to head home.

I took the leisurely route home, seeing as Natsu had taken Sarah home when I'd decided to see if Jet and Droy were okay (I wasn't sure if they were okay after what Erza had done to them). It felt good to be out this late. The pleasant night breeze slowly caressing my exposed skin and the ever calming silence soothing to the ear.

It wasn't until I looked up in the sky, did I remember why I loved the night in Fiore.

There were thousands, if not millions of stars, twinkling in the sky. Painting a canvas of beautiful gems of many varieties and sizes. It wasn't often that I got to see them, having lived in the city. It was only every so often that I did and that was only with my family.

I frowned. _Family_ … that wasn't a word that I used often, nor was it one that I wanted to use at all. It was just… just too depressing to think about.

As repressed memories started to surface, I refused to let the waterworks out in fear. It may have seemed spontaneous but it wasn't. Because with everything that had been going on lately… I had forgotten.

Forgotten about what had happened before I was brought here to Fiore.

No longer was the night dead but alive. Everything around me, from the darkness to the silence, a constant reminder of what had happened.

The wind crawled across my skin and caused me to shiver in fear. My throat locked up and I found it hard to breathe. My eyesight blurred and I could no longer see. It was as if I was going to die. No, I _was_ going to die.

And then… it passed. As if nothing had happened.

I took a moment to take a few deep breaths and wiped the sweat that was building up on my forehead. I was shaking…

I quickly closed my mind from the volatile thoughts that tried to invade my mind and hurried on my way home, desperate for company. The calming night moments ago suffocating me in my own isolation.

By the time I'd made it home, my breathing had slowed to a normal pace and I felt slightly better. Though still, I didn't wish to be alone anymore. I made my way inside the building and up the staircases to my place.

Knowing that Sarah should have been asleep at the moment, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard her muffled giggles echoing through the door

I smiled, glad that Sarah was still up. I slowly unlocked the door and stepped inside, making sure to be extra quiet so that I might surprise her. While she continued to giggle from somewhere in the kitchen, I crept up to the wall outside it.

"Your dragon slaying magic is so cool," Sarah exclaimed.

I quirked a brow. Did that mean Natsu stayed with Sarah? How thoughtful and unexpected of him. I'd have to pay him back somehow.

I decided to step inside. "What's so funny, Sarah?" I asked, looking at her. She giggled to herself when I spoke. I then addressed Natsu without looking at him. "And dragon boy, weren't you supposed to put her to sleep?"

Hearing no reply, I assumed he was smiling guiltily. I sighed. "Whatever, off to bed Sarah," I ordered as I pushed her towards the washroom. "You can go Natsu. Thanks for all the help today. I really appreciate it."

Before I could get outside the kitchen, Natsu spoke up, "It was no big deal," he started. "Sarah's a lovely little girl and so talented as well. She said that she's learning to use Pict magic at her age already."

Sarah smiled and looked down at the floor in embarrassment. "Well, I haven't started training yet but I will soon."

"And you'll make a fine wizard," Natsu replied.

I froze. Not because of the obvious lie that Sarah was feeding Natsu. No, it was because that wasn't Natsu's voice to begin with. I turned around.

To my surprise, I came face to face the same son of a bitch we were talking about earlier.

"Gajeel Redfox," I said slowly, staring at him.

"And you're the new pretty boy that the crazy old man recruited," Gajeel said with a grin. "What was your name again? Nate, wasn't it?"

"What do you want?" I asked cautiously.

"You're a smart guy," Gajeel complimented. "Figure it out yourself."

I knew exactly what reason he was here for… and I didn't like it one bit. I should have guessed that this could have happened.

"Get behind me, Sarah," I whispered to her, to which she started to obey.

"Now-now-now, Nate. That's not very smart of you. I'm sure you don't want li'l Sarah here to see what's about to happen," he said with a faux smile. "Why don't you and I go for a walk?" he suggested casually.

Sweat dribbled down my face as I knew I had no other option. It was either Sarah got hurt because of my rash decisions or I just walked out the door with Gajeel. The answer came to me pretty easily. I chose the latter.

I nodded my head slightly, just enough for Gajeel to see that I understood him and that I was completely compliant.

"Alright, let's go for a _walk_ ," I said. The words sounding hollow and fearful.

He gestured towards the door and I started towards it. Though not before telling Sarah that I'd be back safe. "Sarah, I'm going to need you to wash up and go to sleep without me today," I said quietly. Before she could argue, I continued. "I'll be fine, Sarah. Gajeel and I are just going out to talk. I'll be back before the nights over," I lied.

Sarah nodded her head slowly. She didn't believe me. "Okay," she said.

I gave her a quick hug and walked out the door with Gajeel following close behind. "Where are we going?" I asked once we were out of the building.

He grinned. "You've got a lot more guts than I give you credit for," he said, ignoring my question.

"Where are we going?" I asked again, trying to steer the conversation away from myself.

"Most humans would endanger everyone before giving up their sorry asses," he said spitefully. "It's just human nature."

I looked up at him dully. "Is there a specific reason you're telling me this?" I asked.

Instead of grinning at me, he looked ahead. "Not any particular reason," he replied roughly. "I just don't like many humans. You're one of the few that I can respect which is why I hate to go through with what I'm about to do to you. I'll try to make it quick and painless."

I nodded my head absentmindedly. Knowing that he was lying about the painless part. It was never painless when you were used as an example.

Finally, we reached our destination. A small park with a large tree at its center and a lot of tiny shrubbery dotting the field of the terrain.

I remembered the place that we were at. It was where Levy and her team had been strung up by Gajeel. I mentally and physically braced myself for what was inevitably about to happen.

We walked into the park and he stopped a dozen feet away from me. He turned around to face me. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do," he said regrettably. Though I wasn't sure if he was genuine. His emotions were all over the place.

Still, I readied myself. "I hope you know I won't take this beating lying down."

Gajeel shrugged. "Oh, I'm well aware of that," he said with a wicked smile. "It just doesn't mean shit to me," he finished.

 _BAM!_

A sharp pain erupted from my stomach and I crumpled to the floor, dry heaving from the lack of any food. I hadn't even seen the punch coming.

I gasped for air and wheezed once I'd gotten it. I tried to calm myself.

"Come on, Nate. You see the difference in our strength," Gajeel said reasonably. "This doesn't need to be dragged out."

I groaned in pain but looked up at him. "You think that I'd just give up my pride as a Fairy Tail wizard to skip out on a beating?" I asked spitefully, thinking back on all the help I've received from my guildmates. I wouldn't just do them dirty like that.

"That's not going to happen," I continued, spitting at him. Though it just dribbled down my mouth pathetically.

To my surprise, this just made him grin. "Well, I can't say much for your brains," he said as he roughly lifted me by the hair. "But you're pride! That's something I can respect!" he shouted with sadistic glee.

 _CRUNCH!_

For a second I didn't feel anything. There wasn't any pain, any of anything really. Just a numbness in my arm that I couldn't understand. Then it hit me like a bucket of cold water and I grabbed ahold of my left arm in agony.

It took all of my willpower to bite back the scream that was forming in the back of my throat and even then, an agonized whimper crawled out of my mouth.

"Is that all you've got?" Gajeel asked, having stepped away from me. "I thought your pride amounted to a little more than just that!"

I struggled to stand, the pain being excruciatingly painful. "Kiss my ass, you son of a-"

 _CRACK!_

"Argh…" I screamed as I looked down at my right leg. I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to bend that way.

Gajeel retracted his metal leg and shook his head. "And I expected so much more of you," he said sadly. "I hope the rest of your guildmates aren't nearly as weak as you are. Otherwise, this coming war between our guilds wouldn't have been worth the effort."

At that, I snorted, something that didn't go unnoticed by Gajeel. "Do you think that your guild's defeat is funny?" he asked seriously.

"No," I replied through fits of _very_ painful giggles. "It's just funny how you think that Phantom Lord stands a snowball's chance in hell against Fairy Tail."

Gajeel quirked a brow. "Are you implying that we'll lose?" he asked.

I nodded my head. "I'm not going to deny the fact that you could easily overwhelm most of our guild, otherwise I'd be lying," I said truthfully. "But the fact of the matter is that there are still those few that can beat you in the blink of an eye."

I didn't think the dragon slayer liked that answer much for I felt another sharp pain in the first place that he'd injured me. I screamed.

"There's not a single person in your pathetic guild that can stand up to me!" Gajeel shouted angrily. "Not your Thunder King. Not your Fairy Queen. And definitely not your Salamander. You're all just a bunch of weaklings that I'll enjoy stepping on."

"Don't underestimate us," I replied with a foolish grin. "That Salamander that you call weak _will_ be the one to beat you. I can guarantee that."

"You mean that pink haired oaf?" Gajeel asked. "Sure he might be a bit stronger than the others in your guild but that is all."

I coughed weakly and spat up some blood. That couldn't be good for my health. "He's still stronger than your sorry ass."

 _SNAP!_

I grabbed the side of my torso and doubled over. I continued to giggle, though it sounded delirious. "Keep breaking me. It won't change anything," I encouraged heavily. "You're still going to face the Salamander and you're going to _lose_."

Now Gajeel was really pissed. A fact proven by the clear and visible scowl deeply etched onto his face at the moment.

"I've broken nearly a dozen bones in your body yet you still won't shut up," Gajeel mused. "I must admit, you've impressed me."

"Rot in hell, you bastard," I spat.

Gajeel ignored my rudeness and crouched down to my level. "I'll give you one chance to just stay down," he whispered suggestively. "If you don't listen to my words, you won't want to know what comes next," he threatened.

I mustered up whatever strength I had left, which couldn't be much and stood up.

"So," Gajeel said. "I'm taking you won't just stay down, will you?"

At that, I flipped him off. "Fuck… you," I wheezed.

Gajeel stared at me for a few seconds more and sighed. "So be it," he said.

He then coated both of his arms in iron and I braced myself for the coming onslaught. I wasn't brave. I wasn't courageous. And I wasn't fearless. This was a situation in which I had no control and frankly, it scared me.

 _THWACK!_

A blow to the head.

 _CRACK!_

A fractured rib here and there.

 _BANG!_

A broken kneecap.

At some point, I don't know when exactly, the screaming stopped. Instead, I started to lose consciousness as I desperately fought through the numbing pain that each of the dragon slayer's punches brought me…

… And then it was over. It was silent.

I fell to my knees and held myself up by my arms through sheer adrenaline.

"Still conscious are you?" Gajeel asked tauntingly.

I wasn't able to speak for a moment and had to take the time to regain my breath. When I did have the oxygen again, I spoke, "I've learned a lot since coming to Fiore," I started, taking shallow breaths. "And of it all, one thing always bothered me."

Gajeel quirked a brow. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"That even if you have the world's largest ethernanos reserve, it doesn't mean much if you don't have a strong enough conductor to direct it through."

He looked down at me. "You've really lost your mind."

I ignored him. "Naturally, that's what your body is. A conductor to direct the ethernanos as magic," I answered. "But what if you had a frail body? Or were completely incompetent with magic? Then you wouldn't be able to make full use of your reserves, right?"

"Are you trying to make a point here?" he asked.

I chuckled weakly and ignored him again. "Well, that's what held magic items were created for," I explained. "To be able to release large amounts of ethernanos without needing to train the body to withstand those quantities."

Probably tired of my talking, Gajeel coated his arms in iron. "Iron Dragon's-"

"And if you have a large enough reserve that you've been charging _since you got here_ ," I said as I flipped over to reveal my magic gun, glowing from the excessive amounts of ethernanos held within. "You get a real big bang!" I shouted.

"-Demon Fist!" Gajeel finished.

And I pulled the trigger.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to change things around a bit, you know, to show that Nathaniel is actually making a difference in this world and that it won't just be following the original timeline. Of course, he'll also be getting his own arc at some point in the future. Probably before the Tenrou Island one which will be just as kickass as the others. Anyways, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review for updates.


	7. Chapter 7 - Phantom Lord Part Two

**Author Notes**

Hey all,

This is HailToTheSnail here with another chapter of everyone's favorite OC story, An Adventure to Call My Own. I just want to let all my loyal fans know how much I appreciate them. It means a lot to me when you all show support to a story such as this one and I hope you keep on doing just that. All right, I've blabbered on for long enough.

Time for you to enjoy the story!

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 7 - Phantom Lord Part Two**

 _SLAP!_

I startled awake at the sound of flesh hitting flesh and opened my eyes slowly.

"What did you do that for?" a woman asked accusingly. Sounded a lot like Bisca. "We asked for you to cure our master! Not make him worse!"

"It's what he deserves for pushing himself so hard," another female replied. This one unfamiliar to my ears. Who was it?

I tried to lean over to see who it was. That was the biggest mistake of my life.

"Argh!" I shouted as pain flared throughout my body. This seemed to draw the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Nate!" Bisca exclaimed with a smile. "You're awake!"

I groaned. "I am," I said quietly.

"We were worried," another said, stepping out from behind Bisca. It was Alzack. "We weren't sure if you'd make it through the night."

I frowned and tried to sit up. I wasn't able to and Alzack had to help me up. "How long have I been out?" I asked.

"It's been around a day since you were brought here and half a day prior to that," a third voice mentioned. I looked up and saw none other than Porlyusica. "Your left radius and ulna were snapped in half as were five 'true' ribs on your left side and three 'false' ribs on your right side. Also, your left patella was fractured as was the femur in your right leg."

While I was trying to keep up with what she was saying, she continued, "Other than that, you have a few deep bruises on your rectus femoris, triceps brachii, and rectus abdominis. As well as a light concussion and severe blood loss."

I blinked in confusion. "English, please?" I asked.

Porlyusica sighed. "You were severely injured," she said simply.

"Yeah," Bisca agreed. "We found you… you were chained up against a tree and beaten within an inch of your life. What happened?"

I ignored her question, having only heard the former. That could mean only one thing… Gajeel had beaten me.

"Gajeel Redfox…" I finally replied.

"The iron dragon slayer?" Alzack mused. "Was he the one who attacked you?"

I slowly nodded my head. "Yeah, he was," I said.

Having nothing else to say, I started looking around and noticed a tiny figure lying in a similar bed next to me. "Master?" I asked.

Alzack nodded. "The Master had all of his magical energy drained from his body," the gunslinger said quietly. He then seethed in silent rage. "Those cowards. They used some kind of draining spell."

"Airspace Metsu," I said more to myself than anyone else.

"Pardon?" Bisca asked.

"Airspace Metsu," Porlyusica repeated. "Though I'm surprised that you figured out what kind of magic was employed off of that," she accused.

I raised a brow. Two could play that game. "I'm surprised you heard me. Almost like you're from another world."

That shut her up and she stared at me for a moment before she returned to attending to Master Makarov's depleted magic problem.

"What was that about?" Bisca asked, not knowing if she wanted to know the answer.

I waved her off. "Don't worry about it," I replied. I then got to business. "What's happened since you found me?" I asked.

Alzack replied, "After we found you injured and chained to a tree in one of the few parks across Magnolia, Bisca and I immediately brought you here to Porlyusica for treatment at the Master's request."

I nodded and urged them to continue.

Alzack went on. "After that, we returned to the guild where the Master had decided that Phantom Lord had gone too far with injuring you and declared war on the lot of those cowards," he explained in disgust.

The Master did that for me? Even though I knew that he'd do it anyways, it was still touching to know that he did that for me.

Although I didn't ask for it, Bisca continued the story. "After that, we raided Phantom Lord's guild hall and we were winning, but…"

"But then one of their S-class wizards; I believe it was Aria of the Element Four, used that spell you mentioned and drained the Master of his magic," Alzack added. "After that, we retreated before things went south."

"And you know the rest," Bisca finished.

There was a heavy silence as we all worried about the Master's wellbeing. I mean, he did just risk his life just to avenge myself.

Seeing how disheartened everyone was getting, I knew that I had to do something to lighten the mood. I smiled mischievously. Everyone needed to clown around once in a while to bring people's spirits up, right?

"Thanks for telling me what happened while I was out," I said gratefully.

"It's not a problem," Alzack replied.

"Though if you don't mind me saying this. You and Bisca seem to get along very well," I commented. "Like how you were finishing off each other's sentences while you were explaining everything. Are you two dating?"

At that, they both started to blush profusely. I laughed loudly.

"It's not like that!" Bisca shouted.

Alzack looked away. "We're not together or anything."

That just made me laugh even louder. "Ow, it hurts! My sides!" I said as I continued to laugh. "You guys are so adorable! Please stop!"

"You're the one that started it in the first place!" Bisca snarled.

I continued to giggle to myself until it became unbearable due to the pain and because a certain aged misanthropic woman blew up on us. "Why are you two still here?" Porlyusica asked loudly to Alzack and Bisca. "Get out of my home!"

"I'm sorry, I thought it was alright if we were here," Alzack apologized.

"Why would you think that, you dirty humans," Porlyusica shouted. "Get out of here before I make you leave!" she said as she picked up a broom that was lying conveniently against the wall next to her.

The two gunslingers who were keeping me company quickly said their goodbyes.. "Bye, Nate! Get better soon!" Bisca said briskly as she gave me a quick and unexpected hug that surprised me. She then left for the door.

As Porlyusica went back to healing Makarov, it was just Alzack and I. His expression looked grim. "Nate," my attention was drawn to him. "As your teacher… I have failed you. I hope you can forgive me for that."

Of all the things I had expected him to say, that was not one of them.

But before I could reassure him in any way, he continued. "I won't let what they did go unpunished," he said angrily. "What Phantom Lord's done to us… we'll make them pay tenfold. We'll avenge both you and the Master."

I was stunned. Not only had Makarov given everything for me, but now Alzack was ready to do the same… it was just too much for me to take. I felt the wet drops dripping down my face and I smiled lightly. "Thanks, Alzack," I said quietly.

He just watched me silently as I rubbed away the tears.

Once my water works were finished I grinned at Alzack. "Although I don't need you to avenge me, I'll avenge myself," I said, looking over at Porlyusica. "Hey, granny! How injured am I still?" I asked curiously.

She frowned at my choice of words but ignored it. "I mended all your bones last night," she said quickly. "As for the rest of your injuries there wasn't much I could do for them so I left them as is. You may also still be sore from the treatment."

I nodded my head and turned back to Alzack. "Good news, I can come with you."

At that, I made another horrible mistake… attempting to stand. I immediately fell on my face. "Ow," I said in pain.

"I suppose you also have a bleeding nose as well," Porlyusica added, a little disgruntled for her lack of peace. She turned back to Makarov.

Alzack was confused but understood a few seconds later. He looked at Porlyusica. "You can't be serious," he said to her. "You're going to let Nate go just like that? He's obviously still injured," he said in disbelief.

"Even if I told him to stay, he wouldn't," Porlyusica said, turning towards me. "Isn't that right?" she asked.

I smiled guiltily. Finally someone was getting me. "Sorry," I said.

She sighed and turned away. "Besides, I know that he doesn't plan on being the one to fight the big bosses so he'll be fine," she added to reassure Alzack.

The gunslinger turned to me. "Is that true?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll just help with the plans and stuff. Maybe a few grunts and such," I replied, taking my weight off of Alzack and standing on my own. It would take a few minutes for my legs to adjust to my weight again. "I'm better at that stuff anyways."

Alzack sighed. "Alright then. Let's get going," he said as he left for the door.

I followed, with difficulty, soon after but stopped. "Wait!" I exclaimed, startling both Alzack and Porlyusica.

"What is it now?" the latter asked, her patience dwindling.

"I want to have a few words with the Master," I said, turning to Alzack. I smiled sheepishly. "You go on ahead, I'll be right behind you."

Alzack shrugged but left to find Bisca.

When he was gone, I walked over to Makarov's bed. "Master if you can hear me," I started, feeling a bit silly for what I just said. "I wanted to thank you for what you did. No one's ever risked anything for me…"

I took a deep breath and continued. "You've only known me for a few weeks and yet you were ready to throw away your life for my sake…" I gulped and then smiled confidently. "So I'll return the favor right now. I'm gonna keep everyone in Fairy Tail safe until you're well enough to kick Phantom Lord's ass. You have my word."

* * *

"So you're saying that Phantom Lord will most likely attack us because they've been tasked with returning Lucy to her parents?" I asked in disbelief. Though I shouldn't have been this surprised. Maybe it was the concussion?

Bisca nodded. "Before we left, Natsu had managed to find Lucy and rescue her," she explained. "She confirmed it with the rest of the guild."

I frowned. "Hope she's not beating herself up over this," I said worriedly.

We arrived back in Magnolia a moment later and to my great relief, there was no fortress sitting in the sea south of the town. Which meant that Phantom Lord had yet to start their assault on our guild building.

"We should hurry back," I said. "Phantom Lord could attack at any moment."

The two gunslingers agreed and we made our way back into the town, weaving our way through the crowds and towards our guild hall.

The thing was, on our way over, we passed by the park in which I was chained to the tree. How did I know that? Well…

"What happened here?" I muttered speechlessly.

Alzack stopped and turned back at my words. "Oh that," he started. "We weren't sure ourselves what caused that. We were wondering if you could give us any insight on what could have caused that."

I wasn't sure myself. It wasn't like Gajeel had actually used anything other than physical attacks. Unless it was because of _that_ …

And then another question popped up in my head. Gajeel had survived that?

"Anyways, you were the one who said that we should get back to the guild," Bisca reminded me. "Let's get going."

"R-Right," I replied, following after her.

We left behind the damage that was caused during the fight between Gajeel and I and headed towards our guild hall once more.

When we arrived, we headed downstairs knowing that everyone would be there licking at their wounds from their previous raid on Phantom Lord.

Too be honest, I was a little anxious. I didn't know what happened after I was knocked out, so I didn't know what had happened to Sarah. To make matters even worse, when I asked Alzack or Bisca neither of them knew.

We reached the basement and I gazed upon the tragedy that was now Fairy Tail.

Everyone sported at least a few visible injuries that overwhelmed me with guilt. It was my fault that they were all injured after all. All because I lost a _stupid_ fight with Gajeel did they feel obligated to fight for me…

I looked down dejectedly. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Bisca. "Hey, Nate," she said frantically. "This isn't your fault. Trust me, we _chose_ to do this on our own for your sake. You didn't force our hand or anything."

Alzack nodded to agree with his partner.

This just made me feel worse and my arms sagged even lower distressing the hell out of my two companions. Sending them into a craze to comfort me. Which with the noise they were making didn't help me with my splitting headache.

I smiled sincerely though. They really cared for me.

And since they cared for me, they wouldn't want me feeling guilty over the injuries that they sustained to avenge me. Seeing as how I was smiling, they both sighed in relief. "Are you feeling better?" Alzack asked.

I nodded. "I am, Alzack," I said. "I really needed that."

Alzack nodded. "No problem, Nate. If you ever really need me, I'll be there for you," he said genuinely with Bisca nodding along.

They both gave me a quick and awkward hug before they left me to prepare for Phantom Lord's inevitable retaliation.

"... Help us, Laxus," I froze at what I heard.

I then spotted Mira standing at the basement bar, with Cana nearby reading her tarot cards, pleading with Laxus through a lacrima.

"We could really use you right now," Mira asked sadly. "Fairy Tail's in real danger."

Honestly, I was expecting what happened next. It didn't make me hate it any less but I still expected it. Laxus started to laugh. "Man, my old pops is freaking pathetic," he said with a taunting smirk. "I don't see how this is remotely my problem. You guys are big boys and girls so deal with it yourselves."

"So you're not going to help us?" Cana shouted, drawing the attention of many.

"Of course I'm not going to," Laxus replied heatedly. "The old man started this war. Why should I be the one to clean up his mess?"

"They attacked us first!" Cana shouted. "We had to retaliate."

Laxus looked thoughtful. "Oh right, didn't that iron dragon slayer make an example of one of our newest recruits?" he said as he started to chuckle. "I'm glad he did. That's one less weakling for me to get rid of once I'm guild master."

I could see that what Laxus was saying was aggravating everyone listening in, including Mira which was a rare occurrence.

"Please, Laxus," Mira pleaded once more. "Phantom's trying to kidnap Lucy"

Laxus frowned. "Lucy? Do I even know her? Oh… is she that new girl with the big boobs?" he asked. He then grinned. "Tell you what if you can talk blondie into being my woman, I'll do anything she wants."

"Laxus… you're such a pig," Cana started brimming with rage.

He continued to laugh. "Are you sure that's any way that you should be talking to someone that you're begging to help ya?" he asked mockingly. "Why don't you strip down for me? I'm pretty weak for sexy-"

He never finished as Mira smashed the communication lacrima. The only thing was, she didn't actually. I'd grabbed her arm before she could.

Mira looked up at me in surprise with tears staining her eyes. It hurt my heart to see her like this. She was the kindest and most caring person in Fairy Tail and she was reduced to this mess because of _that_ bastard. But…

"He's not worth it, Mira," I said softly so that only she'd hear me. "Just let him be."

Instead of replying, Mira buried her face into my chest which she surprised me with her sudden vulnerability. I didn't push her away though. She needed someone to lean on and I was more than willing for all that she'd done for me.

I glared at Laxus who was watching us in amusement. "You said that you want to be guild master one day," I stated. "Start acting like one."

Before he could reply, I cut off the connection with him.

I then continued to provide Mira with whatever reassurance I could manage as she cried into my shirt, grasping at it desperately.

Eventually, she calmed down enough to say a few words. "Thank you, Nate…" Mira whispered, wiping away her tears. "I really needed that."

I smiled. "That's what friends are for, right?" I replied. "To help each other out."

Mira giggled. "Yeah… yeah they are," she agreed.

I didn't notice it until now but when I looked around the basement, I realized that we had had an audience the entire time and… a few of them didn't look too happy. Especially those on the male end of the spectrum.

I felt a particularly strong killing intent from Elfman.

I pulled away from Mira. "You're brother scares me," I mouthed much to her amusement.

 _RUMBLE! RUMBLE!_

The ground shook and all the spiteful glares my way looked around in panic. "What's happening?" one of the asked.

"Is it an earthquake?" another continued.

The questions went unanswered as people feared to leave the basement.

Luckily, I didn't share that same fear that the others did. I quickly dashed up the stairs two steps at a time to see what was going on.

When I reached the top, even though I knew what I was going to see, I was stunned by the machinery that was Phantom Lord's headquarters. It was so surreal and… so _fucking_ dangerous. What the hell had Hiro created?

Before anyone else had joined me outside, a section of Phantom's headquarters pulled back to reveal a cannon. It was drawing in ethernanos…

As I looked on in terrified awe, I was aware of the rest of the guild joining me outside.

"W-What is that?"

"I-Is it the Phantom Lord guild?"

"Are they actually planning on killing us all?"

"I'm too young to die…"

Again questions were asked in a flurry of panic. Too many words for a single person to make out a single comprehensive sentence—

"What do we do?"

—And then the only question that mattered was asked. What do we do?

And to be honest, I wasn't sure. But during that single moment of hesitation, one of us didn't hesitate. She moved on her own. "Run! Get out of here!" Erza shouted fiercely as she re-equipped into her Adamantine armor.

"What are you planning, Erza?" Gray asked.

With a determined gaze, she replied, "I'm going to protect the guild hall!" she replied much to everyone's shock. "Now stay back!"

Her words didn't go over well with a few members. And why would it? She was damn near attempting the impossible.

"Erza!" Natsu shouted repeatedly as he struggled to break free of Gray's grip…

… And the cannon fired.

To Erza's foolish pride, she stood her ground and drew her two arms together, making her shield whole and creating a large magic circle between the guild and Phantom's Jupiter Cannon.

"Stop it, Erza!" Lucy shouted. "You're going to die!"

Erza smiled. "For a guildmate and… friend. I'd do anything for them," she said.

The blast connected and I could see Erza struggling to keep the massive amounts of energy contained. She was struggling that much was certain and the rest of us were powerless to do anything save to watch.

Cracks started to appear in her armor and I knew it wouldn't last. Before the blast had completely gone out, the pieces of tempered metal shattered and Erza was sent catapulting into the debris of our broken guild hall.

Gray loosened his hold on Natsu and he rushed over to his fallen comrade. "Erza, are you alright?" he asked desperately. "Say something!"

She coughed and continued to do so without a word to Natsu.

"Makarov Dreyar! And now the Erza Scarlet!" I looked up into the face of Phantom's guild master. "They've both been defeated! You have no chance of beating us! Give us Lucy Heartfilia and we'll leave you alone to your despair!"

I frowned. I could already see people, in our guild no less, shifting their eyes onto Lucy. They weren't actually planning on handing her over, were they?

Before I or anyone else had to take action, Erza's voice rang out to Jose, "Not while we still breathe!" she screamed fiercely.

"We would never betray her!" Natsu added.

"So just back off! You won't be getting another answer from us!" I yelled. I didn't even realize that I said anything until I finished.

Phantom's guild master stared at us for another moment before turning away. "Have it your way!" he grunted carelessly. "You have fifteen minutes to reflect on the folly of your actions! Then we'll fire the Jupiter a second time!"

To our utter horror, thousands of spectral soldiers rushed past him and towards us. "For now, you can deal with my troops!" Jose cried gleefully.

The spectral soldiers landed all over town and we grouped up.

"Witness hell, Fairy Tail!" Jose shouted with a crazed smile. "You have only two options here! Be destroyed by my troops! Or be destroyed by Jupiter!"

"Wait but aren't his troops in the way!" Macao shouted, surprised by his actions. "He'll kill his own men, won't he?"

"No, he won't," Cana replied. "It's his magic, Shade."

"Shade?" Wakaba asked.

Cana nodded. "An ability that lets it's user create phantom soldiers," she said.

I frowned and stared down Jupiter's barrel. I could clearly make out the cannon pulling in ethernanos from the surrounding area.

Cana tsked. "We have to do something about Jupiter," she said.

"We'll handle it!" Gray shouted as he ran towards the lake. "Natsu, Happy, Elfman, you're all coming too!"

"Aye!" Happy shouted.

"Let's go show them how manly we are!" Elfman shouted.

They followed after Gray but all stopped once they realized that one of them wasn't following them. "Natsu?" Gray asked.

Natsu frowned. He looked torn… but what for? "I'm not coming," he said firmly.

"What? Why not?" Elfman shouted. "Don't be a coward!"

To my surprise, he didn't react and just glanced to the side. I followed his gaze and understood immediately why he wouldn't go.

"Just go!" I shouted at them. I then looked at Loke. "You go with them! Make sure that you destroy that cannon!"

Loke didn't bother arguing with me and followed after Gray and the others.

I turned to Natsu. "Protect Lucy with your life," I said seriously. "I'm sure Gajeel will be after her so make sure that you don't let him touch a single hair on her body. Beat the shit out of him while you're at it."

Natsu seemed stunned by my words but quickly formed a smile. "Are you sure you're not just trying to get revenge through me?" he asked cheekily.

He then put out a fist and I bumped it. "That could be a small part of it," I said with a small smirk. "Now get going, Natsu."

After what I'd said, Natsu had spun on his heels and picked up Lucy not even waiting for Reedus as it had happened last time. Which was probably for the best. A horse and a carriage were much too noticeable.

Once they were gone, I focused back on the shades which were running amok across Magnolia. They were attacking anything on sight… that included civilians. Was this even legal anymore? What gave their guild the authority?

"What do we do?" Cana asked, slightly unsure of herself.

It was then that I noticed that everyone from Fairy Tail was watching me with bated breaths expecting some sort of leadership from myself.

I panicked. I wasn't prepared for the responsibility. What if my judgment ended up with more injured? I wasn't born to lead others. I'd always followed everyone else back home not thinking for myself. I wasn't meant for any of this—

"What do we do, _Nate_?" Cana clarified.

—But they needed someone _now_ and I was willing to help.

I hardened my gaze and turned to her. "Can you give me any more information on the magic Jose is using?" I asked as I glanced at the spectral soldiers. "Anything at all? Even if it seems insignificant, it could prove to be useful."

Cana pursed her lips in thought. "There are two things that I can think of right now. One, they'll attack anything on sight whether it be friend or foe and two, they're weaker when exposed to bright lights," she replied quickly.

I nodded my head. "That's good to know. Now we just need to know how many of them there are across Magnolia," I muttered to myself. "But how do we do that?"

I scanned the group of Fairy Tail members in front of me and stopped on one of them. That might just work. "Warren," I said. He jumped a bit at his name being called but made his way over to Cana and myself, who were the acting leaders of a sort.

"Yes, Nate?" he replied, probably wondering why he'd been called.

"I'm going to need to borrow your magic," I supplied. "If this works out the way I think it will, then we should have a rough estimation of how many were up against and where their forces are mostly concentrated."

To my surprise, Warren took a deep breath and put on a brave face. "What do you need me to do?" he asked.

I was impressed by the tenacity that Warren was showing. He was willing to forego his fear for the sake of the guild and Magnolia.

"I'm going to need you to connect with _everyone_ in Magnolia," I started. I continued before he could say anything, "I don't need you to actually speak with anyone, I just want you to locate the voids of magical energy across Magnolia and give me a rough estimate of how many there are and where they are the most densely populated."

I looked him in the eyes. "Can you do that?" I asked.

He frowned but then nodded his head firmly. "Y-Yes, I'm sure I can," he said. "It'll be tough but I think that I can manage."

"We're counting on you," I said.

Warren closed his eyes and we waited for him.

It wasn't long though because a moment later, he grabbed at his head in pain. "Argh!" he shouted. "It hurts! Fuck it hurts!"

"Come on, Warren," I said. "You can do this."

This lasted another few seconds and then he stopped; holding his head and panting heavily from the mental exertion. He looked up at me. "One thousand… concentrated at… the harbor front… the retail district… and… the residential area," he said.

I gave him a thumbs up to which he shakily returned and pointed at Cana. "You take forty of us and go defend the harbor front," I ordered firmly. "It'll be the most concentrated of enemy groups and they might get reinforcements so be careful."

"Got it," she said as she gathered the required numbers and left.

Once they were gone, I looked at Macao and Wakaba. "I need you two to head towards the resident district with half of what's left," I demanded. "That's likely where the most people are trapped and I'll need you two to evacuate them. You've got more experience than everyone else here so I know that you two will be the best for this."

The two agreed and ran off with around two dozen others.

I then turned to Levy, Jet, and Droy. "You two grab what's left of us and head towards the retail district. Although it's unlikely that there are still many people left in that district, we should still air on the side of caution."

They all grabbed whoever was left and headed towards their destination.

I pointed at the last two who stayed, which were Alzack and Bisca (not including Warren, he deserved some rest). "And you two will mill through those three groups," I finished. "Help wherever they need help the most."

"Alright, Nate!" Bisca said as ran off with Alzack. "Be safe!"

When everyone had cleared, I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. That had been a lot more stressful than I'd thought it'd be.

"Tell me, Nate…" I froze at Warren's voice. I forgot he was there. "What are the odds that we'll win this war with Phantom?"

I shrugged as I looked above the buildings seeing many different kinds of magic being shot up into the sky. It reminded me of fireworks. "Depends…" I replied. I then asked. "How much do you believe in everyone from our guild?"

He paused for a moment. Only a moment though. "I believe in them with every fiber of my being," he replied confidently.

I nodded my head. "Then we'll win without a doubt," I said as I held out my arm. Warren grabbed it and I pulled him up. "Now you head back to the guild and rest up, Warren. I know I asked a lot from you and I'm grateful for what you did. I'll head over to Cana and provide whatever support I can for them."

He didn't argue and we went our separate ways.

It wasn't hard to find where all the fighting was happening. All I had to do was look for the _fireworks_ being shot into the sky. And when I got there, I was introduced to the craziest fight that I'd seen since Loke made me drop Erza's cake.

I dropped to the ground as a Shade swooped by trying to get me and I rolled over, pulling out my magic gun and firing three shots into it as it flew off. It disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

I looked down at my weapon and smirked. I was getting pretty good at this.

Before I could continue being narcissistic, a card flew past my face and blew up a Shade that was a few feet ahead of me.

"Never get distracted out on the field, Nate!" Cana shouted. She was at least thirty feet away from me. How'd she throw that so accurately? Better yet, how'd she throw that so accurately with a freaking playing card?

…Maybe I still had a long way to go.

"Thanks, Cana," I shouted back. "I'll keep that in mind," I then charged back in.

Fighting was a bitch… fighting in masses was a bitch and a half. I'd almost been nicked more times than I could count and the only reason I wasn't was because my guildmates had been saving my ass repeatedly.

Not to say that I didn't do the same. I'd returned the favor to Cana with a bullet to the head of the shade that had her pinned down. I also took out three spectral soldiers that were sneaking up on Alzack. And I think I shot down a shade that'd been trying to take off with one of my guildmates. Who knows though, it was all so chaotic.

I grew weary as the battle continued and I didn't know whether it was because I didn't have enough stamina or if I had been nicked by one of the spectral soldiers, which was completely plausible. There were hundreds of those things if not thousands. Plus they could regenerate indefinitely.

As things looked bleak, it just got a whole lot worse. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a little flicker. I looked at it briefly and my heart sank. "Guys, how long has it been since Gray and the others left?" I asked loudly.

Guessing what I was talking about, Cana looked up. "Shit!" she turned to Bisca who'd come over to help us. "Are all the civilians out of the town yet?"

Bisca nodded as she shot down a shade. "Yeah, Alzack and I saw Macao and Wakaba escort the last family out of the town!" she shouted certainly. "We're good on that front!"

"Good," Cana said. She threw a card at a shade that was sneaking up on me. How did she do that? "Cause things are about to get ugly."

I gulped and watched as the Jupiter Cannon neared its ethernanos capacity. Was it my fault that all of us were going to die? Probably. Was it because I'd let Natsu protect Lucy instead of destroying Phantom's Jupiter Cannon? Absolutely. Did I regret saving Lucy's life over my own? Not one bit. But the others…

I looked around at all my guildmates fighting for Lucy so earnestly.

… I didn't mean to drag them down with me.

The energy down the cannon's barrel radiated brighter and brighter and I fell to the ground, closing my eyes in fear of the looks of my guildmates.

I felt a light arm on my shoulder and I opened my eyes. It was Cana but she wasn't watching me. She was too focused with the enemies in front of her to really pay me any mind. It was like she was telling me to get up; that it wasn't over.

… And she was right. What was I thinking that it was over? I knew that my friends would disable that cannon. Even if it was down to the last second, they'd get the job done. I just knew it. I had to have faith in them.

I dropped my gaze from Phantom's cannon and threw myself back into the fray with a crazed roar.

 _SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!_

I took three potshots at a shade who'd been diving down towards me and took to shooting shades lurking on the edge of the fight.

When I'd shot down yet another shade which one more replaced almost immediately, I spotted a pillar of steel erupt from somewhere off to the east and then a fan of fire rise into the sky. I smiled knowing that Natsu was doing everything he could to protect Lucy. It inspired me to do something similar and protect Magnolia.

I didn't tire after that. My adrenaline ignoring my aching body which was screaming in absolute pain. It felt great though.

Even though I knew myself that I was pushing myself to my maximum limits, I didn't feel a thing. Sure it was going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow, but for now, I was perfectly content with abusing my new found strength.

I didn't know how much more time passed or whether or not I'd broken my body but when I was shaken out of my berserk state I glanced at a spark that I wanted to ignore… no, that I needed to ignore… otherwise…

"N-Nate… the cannon's about to fire!" Cana cried, her eyes widening at what that meant.

… She just had to say it and make it more real.

I cut down the last of the shades near me and looked back up in concern.

As Cana said, the cannon had finished gathering ethernanos and was ready to release fifteen minutes worth of pent-up energy. All it needed now was someone to pull the trigger and watch the chaos ensue.

I turned to Alzack and Bisca, who'd just arrived from where I'd sent them off to help Levy and her team search through the residential district. "Let the others know to get as far away from the guild hall as possible," I said desperately. "That thing's about to fire and I have no idea how large of an explosion it might cause."

Bisca looked up at the cannon. "I'm not sure if we're going to make it, Nate," she said nervously. "I mean-"

"Just try!" I shouted, interrupting her.

Stunned by my outburst, she slowly nodded and dragged Alzack with her.

"Nate, look!" Cana cried.

I didn't want to… I knew what was there already, but I looked all the same.

Phantom's Jupiter Cannon had fired again.

I froze as the reality of the situation dawned on me. We were actually going to die right here, right now. What could I do to change that? I wasn't Erza. I wouldn't be able to stop a blast of pure energy to save everyone in the guild. I just wasn't that strong…

… But what I lacked in strength, I made up for in knowledge. I had a few milliseconds to create a plan and follow it. Easy, really.

An idea hit me and I thought back to earlier in the day when Alzack, Bisca, and I passed through the chaos that Gajeel and I left in our wake two days ago. Trees uprooted, benches splintered, bushes singed. Just maybe…

I quickly disregarded my thoughts. It just wasn't possible with the time we had.

I tried to think of another solution to our problem. Dozens of ideas passing through my head without a single one coming up positive. Time was running out and we'd all be dead in a matter of seconds. It was so unfair for everyone. We were all going to die because I couldn't come up with a stupid plan.

"If only I had more time…" I whispered to myself miserably.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to think anything else up, I just watched as the blast came closer and closer…

…

… that is until it stopped. Well, not quite stopped. It was still coming towards us just a lot slower than before.

What I saw next surprised me to no end. All Fairy Tail members that came to the docks were trying to push back the blast of energy with whatever magic they had. Whether it be with cards, fire, guns, etc.

"What are you doing, Nate?" Macao asked as he came up beside me. He was throwing his own fire magic into the mix. "You've got a plan, right?"

"Why are you here?" I asked in return, completely disregarding his question. Didn't I tell him to get out of town? If he had just listened, he could have all lived. No, would have lived. Was he suicidal?

"Isn't it obvious?" Macao said with a grin plastered across his face. "You're one of us now. We're not going to abandon you when you need us."

"Yeah, kid," Wakaba added, coming up on my other side. He lobbed one of his Bomb Lacrimas at a shade trying to attack Macao. "If you think that you're going to play hero and get all the glory. Think again! Because Mira's mine."

"Okay…" I said slowly, clearly disturbed by what Wakaba was saying. I turned to look at Macao. "Is that what you believe?"

He smirked. "Why don't you ask the others?" he nudged his head.

I turned around and couldn't help but look on in shock. Everyone else from Fairy Tail was here and fighting back for themselves. Some of us were pushing back Phantom's Jupiter Cannon while some of us were trying to keep the shades off of us. But all in all, we all stayed for one another… that was something to treasure.

"We'll give you as much time as you need," Levy said as she crushed a shade using Solid Script: Boulder. "Trust us."

"We've got your back," Jet and Droy added.

I nodded my head and watched as everyone fought back against Phantom. I felt so useless. How was I supposed to do anything? I looked down at my hands. If only my magic had awakened by now. I clenched my fists in frustration.

"Just work please!" I begged as I watched my guildmates try their hardest. Our line of defense was being breached by the shades and my friends were dropping one by one. "I'm begging here! Just fucking work please!"

As if obeying my deepest desires, my magic stirred. That same rush that I felt back in Clover Canyon. I could feel it surging through me once more.

I raised an arm and willed my magic to my palm. I didn't know what I was doing but it just felt right. I knew what I had to do and turned to Macao. "Macao, tell everyone to stop firing at the blast from Phantom's Jupiter Cannon," I said.

He looked at me as if I'd gone insane. "Are you crazy, we'll all die!" he shouted.

I shook my head. "No, we won't," I said confidently. "I've got a plan but it won't work with everyone's magic getting in the way."

He looked hesitant.

"Trust me," I said, looking him directly in the eyes.

Macao sighed. "Fuck," he said as he let his fire magic go out. "If we die though, I will hunt you down and kill you in the afterlife."

I smirked. "You didn't need to come back," I replied.

"And as Wakaba said, let you hog all the glory? Not a chance," he grinned back. "What would I say to my son then?"

I smiled. Macao was one of the many characters that I'd idolized in the story. He'd do anything for his family. And the guild counted as family.

Macao then went around stopping everyone so that I'd have a clear shot. The blast started to come at us much quicker due to this and I readied myself.

Three…

Cana came up to me. "What do you have planned?" she asked. Seemed Macao had gotten her to stop. Good, she was the one that I knew I'd have the most trouble convincing.

I shrugged. "I have no idea," I admitted.

Her eyes widened. "What?" Cana asked. "Then why would you-"

Two…

"I have no idea what my magic is," I interrupted. "I don't know it's power, it's capabilities, not even it's own name."

"Then-" she tried again.

"But I know one thing," I interrupted with absolute confidence. "It will definitely win."

Cana looked at me and sighed. "I trust you, Nate."

One…

"Now, Nate!" Macao shouted from across the docks.

… I released it.

You know those moments where you're so sure you'll win a bet and then against all odds you lose? Yeah, that's how I felt right now. When I released my magic, three white magic circles no larger than a frisbee stacked in front of my palm and out came a thin stream of energy bolting towards the massive blast from the Jupiter Cannon.

"Yep, we're so dead," I said slowly, turning to Cana and Macao.

"I thought you said you would definitely win!" Cana shouted, ready to start throwing her cards again.

"I never said _I_ would definitely win," I objected. "I said _it_ would definitely win. As in I was referring to my magic; i.e., not me."

Before Cana could reply though, someone shouted out, "Look at the blast from Phantom's Jupiter Cannon! It's just getting smaller!"

We all looked up and watched as the blast vanished on itself. By the time it reached us, all it took was a toss from one of Wakaba's Bomb Lacrimas to stop it. I turned to Cana and Macao with a victorious grin.

Which was promptly slapped off my face. "Don't give me that shit," Cana said angrily.

"Ow," I whimpered in pain. I then suddenly felt exhausted and slowly fell to the ground, my legs no longer able to support my body. "Guys, I'm going to need a little bit of rest," I said, panting heavily.

Macao smiled. "Yeah, kid. You've earned it."

Before I could berate him for calling me a kid. I was eighteen for fucks sake. The ground started to rumble once more. I groaned. "What is it this time?"

"Ah, Nate," Levy said as she approached us. "The whole building is shifting."

"Wait, what?" I asked, sitting up quickly much to my body's displeasure. "Oh yeah… that happened," I said under my breath.

"Don't get cocky, Fairy Tail!" Jose shouted from within his castle. "I'm about to show you what true despair is like!"

We watched in utter horror as Phantom's headquarters transformed into a colossus of a stone golem. It stood twice as tall as it did before and started to move its arms, creating the base of a magic circle that spanned over a kilometer.

"That's Phantom's strongest weapon," Levy exclaimed. "Their Giant."

"We're so screwed," Wakaba added.

"On the bright side, the shades retreated to their fortress," Droy added, trying to be positive in this absolutely negative situation.

The shades that had retreated to the stone golem once the Jupiter Cannon was fired circled the machine once more before heading back towards us. "You were saying?" Jet asked.

"Hey guys, I'm sure we all noticed this but what's that magic circle it's drawing?" Macao asked curiously. "I've never seen it before."

Levy squinted at it for a few seconds before she gasped. "There's no way…"

"What is it?" Wakaba asked. "Please tell me it's not bad."

Levy shook her head. "It's not bad," she said much to the pompadour's relief. Though… "It's terrible. That magic circle that the giant's creating, the reason you haven't seen it before, is because it's a forbidden magic. Abyss Break."

She continued. "It's one of the deadlier forbidden magic and one of that scale could easily wipe Magnolia off the face of Earth Land."

We all gulped. It was even scarier to hear in person.

Cana was the first to pull herself together. "For now, before they attack again, bring Nate back to the guild hall," she ordered.

"What?" I asked. It felt like I was being benched during the last minute of play while we were down two to one. "I can still fight, Cana!"

"No, you clearly can't," she said evenly. "You can't even stand. How do you expect to fight without the use of your legs?"

I growled in frustration but agreed with her internally. She was right after all. What use would a crippled be in a fight? "Fine," I said reluctantly.

She was glad that I agreed so easily and waved over Vegeta? Vijeeter? It was one of those two. I always got Dragon Ball and Fairy Tail mixed up. Don't even ask why…

"Vijeeter, take Nate back to the guild hall. Get him patched up and return here immediately," she ordered easily. He nodded and walked over to me.

I frowned. Why the hell did she make me take leadership earlier? She was so good at it already. I didn't bother asking though.

Vijeeter (now that I knew which one it was) more or less dragged me to the guild hall and helped me inside. My half conscious self-noticed Lucy at the window watching the fighting outside worriedly. Why wasn't she with Natsu?

It then hit me that it was Mira and I giggled to myself. It really felt like I was on some sort of drug. A stimulant of course.

"Nate, what happened?" she asked.

"Nothing serious," I replied, waving off her concern. "How's Erza?" I asked, seeing her laying down in a cot near where Mira had been standing.

"Oh, her. She'll be fine, she just needs to rest and recuperate her magic."

I sighed. "That's good to hear," I said.

We were left in an awkward silence and I looked up to see Mira with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands balled up in fists. Something really had her going. "Mira, what's wrong?" I asked, worrying about my friend.

She didn't say anything at first but broke down soon after. "How can you ask me something like that?" she asked. I could see that she needed to get something off her chest so I let her speak. "While I'm in here tending to the wounded, you're all out there risking your lives for the guild. How is that fair?"

"It isn't," I replied quietly. This next thing I was going to say was a bit risky; downright exposing. "But neither is the circumstance that _you're_ in."

Mira's eyes widened but she didn't make any move to acknowledge what I said. "How do you know about that?" she asked.

"You overhear things when you just sit in the guild hall," I lied. No one would dare expose something as horrible as that to anyone else. "Besides, Natsu and the guys will deal with the Phantom's Giant."

"The guys?" Mira asked. "I thought Natsu went in alone."

I shook my head. "No, Gray and Elfman went with him," I replied. My eyes widened and I realized my mistake too late.

"Elfman?" Mira shouted. "Why?"

"He volunteered to go," I said quietly, averting my eyes.

"But he can't fight?" Mira panicked, worrying for her brother. "It's too dangerous."

"I heard he fought during your raid on Phantoms headquarters," I countered. "He apparently did a number on their troops."

She shook her head. "Fighting against the best of Phantom… he doesn't stand a chance," she said miserably. "It'll be dangerous for him without that power but he can't control something that powerful."

I frowned. "Shouldn't you have a little more faith in your brother?" I asked. "Elfman's trying to move forwards from back then. He will succeed."

Mira just sat there for a minute before she stood up. "You're right, Nate," she said. "I've got to move forward as well."

She then walked out the door and I panicked. Apparently, her idea of moving forwards meant giving herself up to Phantom. "Damn it, Mira," I said as I pushed myself to stand up. My legs didn't appreciate that. "Don't be foolish!" I shouted.

I chased after her and heard Jose. Seemed he had already figured Mira out. I had to act fast. "Disappear you imposter!" his voice boomed. "I know you're not Lucy Heartfilia, so you can stop pretending and reveal yourself!"

I'd reached the door by the time Mira had removed her transformation spell. "Although I might not be able to do anything to you!" she shouted. "I know for sure that my brother will beat the crap out of you! So you just wait for him to show!"

While Mira was shouting at Jose, I saw the light etching of a magic circle glowing beneath her. "Mira! Watch out!" I shouted loudly. It was too late though, she wouldn't be able to move out of the way on time.

I pumped my legs trying to reach her but she disappeared before I even got close. I turned to Phantom's Giant. "Give her back!" I shouted angrily.

"Oh, aren't you that new upcoming Fairy Tail wizard?" Jose said curiously. "What was your name again? Nick? Nab? Nathaniel! Yes, you're Nathaniel Valentine! You stopped that second shot from the Jupiter Cannon, didn't you?"

I froze. That didn't sound too good. He sounded angry…

Jose chuckled. "I can't have you saving all of your friends this time so how should I dispose of you?" he asked himself. "Ah, I know. I'll grant you your wish… you can die right with Mira after you witness me slaughter all of your friends!"

Another magic circle glowed under me and only one word came to mind.

 _Fuck…_

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. In the next one, we'll finish up with the Phantom Lord arc and maybe go into more depth on what Nathaniel's magic really is. Oh, I'll also reveal how he looks. He's not outstanding because he doesn't come from Earth Land (i.e. any flamboyant colored hairs or over the top clothing). Of course but he'll have a few things that'll make him memorable though.

I might be starting another fanfiction soon on RWBY so for any of you RWBY fans out there, that's a plus.

Anyways, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review.


	8. Chapter 8 - Phantom Lord Part Three

**Author Notes**

Hey all,

This is HailToTheSnail here... again... after two months... yeah, sorry for the wait. I really am awful with time management. Plus I'm certain I'm just plain lazy. Anyways enough about me, you're here for the story. So you'll get the story. Thank you so much for all the support you guys give me, I hope you continue to read this story with me as I write it.

Anyways enough rambling! Enjoy!

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 8 - Phantom Lord Part Three**

Crushed…

That's how I felt right now held between two fingers of the stone machine that was Phantom's headquarters. My vision was blurred and I wasn't sure what was left and what was right. My whole world was disoriented.

I couldn't find Mira near me and I wondered what Jose had done to her.

It took nearly all of my willpower just to keep myself from blacking out. How had Mira dealt with this while Elfman was fighting Sol?

Biting my teeth together to endure the pain, I looked around for Mira once more now that my vision had cleared slightly. I spotted her held down a few dozen feet away. She seemed to be trying to say something to me. "Nate… are… okay?"

I understood the gist of the message and replied in kind, "I'm fine! You?"

She nodded her head. "I'm… alright!"

I sighed in relief. That alleviated some of the guilt that I'd felt for not reaching her on time. Knowing that Mira was safe for now, I started to search for an escape.

I didn't get far into my search though as my eyes were drawn to specks off in the distance. They were my guildmates. One after another, they fell to Jose's spectral soldiers as they fought desperately to keep the creatures at bay.

I wanted to tell them to run away; that we'd fine and that they should save themselves, but I was just too far away for them to hear me. "Do you see their despair, Nathaniel?" a voice rang out to me. Not quite loud enough for anyone other than I to hear. "Their pain could have been quick if you'd just given us Lucy."

I growled. "Piss off, Jose," I said angrily, spitting on his machine.

"... Fine have it your way," Jose conceded. "If I can't find satisfaction in watching you fall into despair, then I guess I'll have to settle for your _friend_ over there."

This time, the guild master of Phantom didn't speak to me directly but I still overheard what he said. "Sol, throw _him_ through the wall!"

It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about.

 _BAM!_

The chest of Phantom's Giant erupted nearby and rubble flew everywhere. I threw my arms up to protect my face.

"Elfman!" Mira shouted painfully.

Hearing her cries, I removed my arms and looked down to see Elfman on the edge of the hole he'd been blown through. "Mira!" he cried desperately, seeing her be squeezed in the clutches of Phantom's Giant.

Meanwhile, I went unnoticed… not that I was expecting anything else. I mean it was his sister for goodness' sake.

I watched as a figure came up behind Elfman and I could immediately tell from the orange suit and monocle that it was Sol, one of the Element Four.

I saw his lips moving but I couldn't make out a single word that he was saying. Though it seemed to be having an effect on Elfman.

"Run! Get out of here, Elfman!" Mira shouted suddenly.

Elfman shook his head. "No, I can't just leave you here!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, the arm holding Mira and I jerked forwards and was brought closer to Elfman.

I was then able to make out what Sol was saying, albeit I had to strain my ears to make out anything he was saying. "You were the one that killed Lisanna," Sol taunted.

The creepy man smiled. "And now Mirajane will die before your eyes," he said with a sadistic smile as his body wiggled around (that wasn't natural by any means). "You're not a man but a coward. The word _man_ is only a facade for you to conceal the weak and powerless wizard that you really are."

A brownish gold magic circle appeared in front of Sol and aimed at Elfman's back as he looked on at Mira's pained face in despair. The magic activated and Elfman started to shake violently. He roared in excruciating pain.

I didn't know exactly what that spell was or the specifics of it. All I remembered was that it made Elfman relive the most painful memories that he had which just so happened to be Lisanna's death. The sister that he killed on accident.

Elfman's eyes rolled back into his head and stone started to spread across his body. It latched onto his legs and started to slowly rise.

"Elfman, you have to snap out of it!" Mira shouted desperately. "Please!"

It hurt me deeply to watch the two siblings reliving a scene very much like the one that had caused the death of their dear sister. I felt guilty for watching as well as I felt as if this wasn't something that I should be seeing.

Minutes passed in which Mira begged for Elfman to snap out of it all the while Sol laughed maniacally. It made me want to punch him in his ugly mug. Unfortunately, Phantom's Giant was gripping too tightly for me to even remove one arm from my sides. "Damn it," I muttered to myself as I continued to struggle in vain.

The stone that had been slowly crawling its way up Elfman's legs had reached his face and had enveloped everything aside from his eyes, nose, and mouth. "Elfman, please! Wake up!" Mira cried hoarsely.

To my surprise, he opened his eyes blearily and looked at Mira. "Please, snap out of it!" she shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please brother… I can't lose you too."

It was like those tears signified the start of a war because a moment later, even I could feel the power radiating off of Elfman. The stone prison around him crumpled and he turned towards Sol with a grim expression.

"She's crying," Elfman said menacingly. Sol turned to him in annoyance. "I swore that I'd never let anyone make her cry again," he said, his voice rising as he went along. "So tell me why is she crying?" he seethed in pure rage and anger.

A bright yellow light surrounded him and I heard Mira scream. "Elfman, no!" she shouted. "Don't do it! It's too dangerous for you!"

"Who made you cry, Mira!" he shouted, carelessly letting his magic aura seep out. It seemed he had let his anger get the best of him and I stood still, paralyzed in fear. Even though he was nearly half a football fields length away from me, his magic power was overwhelming and viciously attacked at my own.

Soon enough, a purple magic circle appeared behind him as Sol continued to insult him. "You _imbecile_ ," he taunted. "You are not capable of doing a full-body Take Over."

The magic circle behind Elfman cracked and Sol smirked. "You see what I mean," he said confidently. "You are not a man but a coward. A blasted coward."

He spoke too soon though as the magic circle that had cracked merged back together and Elfman's full-body Take Over took effect.

Rising from the smoke was an extremely large bipedal monstrosity. It took a deep breath in through its hundreds of jagged teeth and let out the loudest boom of any animal I'd ever encountered.

 _ROAR! BOOM! BANG!_

I covered my ears as the beast pounded it's red furred arms against its green torso furiously. It then raked its sharp-clawed feet across the floor and slammed its golden horns against a pillar of stone in a fit of rage.

"He did it…" Sol said, his nerves slowly getting to him.

Mira looked on in fright, no doubt remembering the day that they'd lost their little sister to that monstrosity. "T-That's Beast Soul," she said. Her fear slowly showing itself through her trembling and shallow breaths.

"Calm down, Mira," I said. "You have to trust, Elfman. Believe that he's in control of the monster. Otherwise, why would he do what he just did?"

While I was trying to calm Mira down from having an anxiety attack, I could hear the excuses that Sol was making up so that Elfman wouldn't completely pulverize him. It was kind of pathetic after everything he'd done.

Sol slowly backed away. "Well, I should be going now," he said. "So good-"

He never got to finish what he was going to say as Elfman slammed him into the ground and started to beat him profusely. As to the point at which I wasn't sure if Sol was going to live through it… it was inhumane.

"Mira, I was wrong," I admitted, as I struggled even harder to get myself free from the stone machine. "We need to stop him now before he kills that man."

Mira, realizing the direness of the situation, recovered from before. "But how? We can't even move a muscle," she said, struggling as well.

I bit my lip. I didn't want to do what I was about to do, but we needed to save Sol's life. Even though he was a complete asshole and a bad guy in this situation, he was still human and no one deserved _that_.

I braced myself for the pain. "I'm going to break my thumb," I said simply.

"What?" Mira asked in surprise. And to be fair, it was well within good reason. Not many people voluntarily injured themselves.

But in my defense, it was the only thing holding me back from getting my arms out. If I could get one arm out, then I could get the other one out with the extra room and pull myself out of the stone machine's grasp.

 _CRACK!_

"Argh" I cried as raw skin was exposed to the elements. It really hurt to inflict pain on oneself. But now wasn't the time to complain. I grit my teeth and pulled my other arm out before heaving my whole body out of the Giant's hand.

I leapt into the stone machine and ignored the drop that I could have fallen down had I missed. I pulled out my magic gun and took a few potshots at the Beast Soul. It did little damage but did wonders to get its attention.

The beast left Sol's brutally beaten body to follow me. I could see from where I was that the creepy man was still breathing which was a good sign. Now all I had to do was make sure I didn't get killed. Fantastic…

I started to run from the beast and it followed. It wasn't nearly as fast as I was expecting it to be so I was able to wonder as the large monster lumbered after me. How was I going to get Elfman back into control of the beast?

It went so differently in the story so what changed? I wasn't able to think of any possibilities that could have altered what was happening right now so I could only assume that this was the work of the son of a bitch that sent me here.

I continued to dodge the slow punches that the beast threw my way and I was still nowhere close to figuring out a solution then I'd been prior. I was also starting to tire which was terrible. I wasn't sure that I'd fully recovered from when I'd used my magic to save everyone an hour or so ago.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself as I jumped out of the way of another one of the beast's punches. It smashed into the ground where I'd been standing moments ago and sent chunks of rocks everywhere. A few cut into my skin but I got right back up and continued to play the distraction while I waited for some sort of help.

Unfortunately, that help never came. As more time passed, I found myself tiring even further and I eventually made a mistake. What I'd thought had been a ground slam had turned out to be a wind-up punch and when I tried to step back, it brought its fist forwards.

No time to react. No time to dodge. No time to for anything. I took the hit squarely in the chest.

I was catapulted backward and slammed into the wall behind me. I heard a few cracks immediately but my mind didn't even register it. What was going through my mind was how the hell I was still alive? I didn't have time to dwell on that though. I felt something sticky and warm run down the side of my head and I knew that I was bleeding.

Another hit like that and I was toast. It was a miracle that I'd lived through that first hit.

I tried to stand but was unable to do so. I tried again and again as panic settled into the pit of my stomach. My legs were exhausted.

 _RRRRRRRRRR!_

The low rumble of the beast was close and I looked at the beast in fear.

The beast pounded its chest a few times and slammed the ground in front of it, knocking up even more debris. It then looked down at me, the shadow of its enormous frame looming over myself and going much further. It pulled back an arm, ready to pummel my puny body, and I closed my eyes in anticipation of the attack…

…

…

…

… It never came.

I opened my eyes slowly and they widened at what they saw. The beast's fist had stopped a few feet away from me and it wasn't because of a sudden interest of myself. No, it was largely to do with the woman standing in front of me.

"Mira?" I asked myself more than anything. "But how?"

I then noticed the bruising on her hand and came to the conclusion that she'd done the same thing as me earlier. "Did you-"

She smiled back at me, ignoring my question. "Let me handle my brother."

Mira then turned back to the beast. "Elfman what's the matter?" she asked sincerely. "It's me, Mira."

I frowned. Why did this feel so familiar?

"You wouldn't forget about me, right Elfman?" Mira asked again, placing a hand calmly on the beast's arm. It jerked back it's arm and growled.

It was just like back then… with Lisanna. My eyes widened.

"You're all that I have left," Mira continued, smiling warmly. "So let's go home. Okay, Elfman?"

"Mira, run!" I shouted desperately.

I was too late though. The beast threw back its head and roared. I could only sit there and watch as the beast reached for Mira. It grabbed ahold of her and my eyes widened as it pulled her into a hug. Elfman, against all odds, had regained control.

"I'm sorry, Mira," Elfman said in anguish. "I know you never wanted to see this form again and to be honest, neither did I."

"You're in control," Mira said in amazement.

Elfman ignored her as he reverted into his human form. "But there was nothing else I could do," he continued. "This was the only way that I could protect you and the rest of Fairy Tail and I'd lost myself to it again."

Mira placed her hand in Elfman's. "But you're in control of it now," she said sympathetically. "So please, stop beating yourself up over Lisanna. It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. All you tried to do was protect us."

"And I failed miserably," Elfman said in shame. "I killed my little sister."

"But I'm still alive," Mira countered.

Elfman's eyes widened. "Mirajane," he whispered quietly.

"We made a promise, didn't we?" she added. "That we'd live our lives to the fullest for her. We promised to keep her memory alive so that she'd live on in our hearts forever."

At that, Elfman broke down and tears welled up in his eyes before they started to stream down his face. "Big Sis, I'm so glad you're okay!" he exclaimed.

Mira smirked. "C'mon, Elfman. What's with the sudden waterworks?" she asked.

He continued to cry. "I can't help it."

The two siblings embraced each other in a comforting hug. It was a timeless moment for them and something which could surely be ruined by even the tiniest of distractions. Which of course meant…

 _COUGH! COUGH!_

They both turned to me and I smiled cheekily. "I know you guys are having a moment and all but could you guys help me out… please?"

Mira gasped. "Oh my god, Nate!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

I just stared at her. That was it.

That seemed to make her realize what an idiotic question that was. Which in turn made her look away sheepishly with a small nervous chuckle.

Elfman helped me onto my feet but as soon as he let me go I fell right over. Seeing as I couldn't stand on my own, Elfman slung me over his shoulder much to my embarrassment. "By the way Nate. What happened to you?"

That made Mira and I freeze. She frowned as she stared at her older brother. "Elfman, do you really not remember?" she asked in surprise.

Elfman shook his head. "No, I don't," he admitted. "Should I?"

Mira pursed her lips and looked hesitant to tell Elfman what happened. She seemed to have steeled her nerves though and opened her mouth to speak.

"That bastard Sol got me," I interrupted with a grimace. "If it weren't for you Elfman, I would have probably been toast," I shrugged.

Elfman paused taking my words skeptically. He looked towards Mira who nodded tentatively. The younger sibling's chest swelled with pride and he laughed. "You can thank my Beast Soul for that," he admitted. "I'm glad I'm finally able to control it."

"Yeah me too," I agreed with a wince.

As Elfman continued to laugh and was distracted, Mira gave me a quizzical stare. I gestured my head towards the elated Elfman.

She thought it over and smiled. Which I took for agreeing with me.

Even if Elfman was the one who'd hurt me, I didn't want him to know that. It would just be another reason for him to not use his Beast Soul. If he was unaware of what he'd done all the better for us. He wouldn't feel guilty because of this deception.

While Mira and I had our silent exchange, Elfman had stopped laughing and had turned towards the large hole in the wall. "Its movements have slowed," he said quietly. "Phantom's Giant that is," he amended.

Knowing this already, I answered, "Maybe Abyss Break is being created with the power of the Element Four?"

"That's very possible," Mira added. "Which means that there are three others that we have to defeat to stop the casting of that spell."

"Three others?" I asked. "But isn't there just the water and air element?"

Mira shook her head. "There's also the fire element," she reminded me. She then frowned, worry written all over her face. Oh right, she wouldn't know about the fact that Natsu beat Totomaru when he destroyed the Jupiter-

-Fuck… he never destroyed it. We'd sent Loke to do that with Gray and Elfman. Which meant that Loke had lost to the bastard.

Mira looked at me with concern written all over her face. "Are you sure you're alright, Nate?" she asked. "Are you sure we shouldn't take you back to the guild hall?"

I shook my head. "We have no way of getting of Phantom's Giant right now," I replied honestly. "We should just try and meet up with both Loke and Gray before we make any other moves. Maybe they also fought the Element Four and it'd be better if we knew who we still had to go up against instead of running in there blindly."

The siblings conceded to my plan, seeing the logic behind it and we started to make our way through the halls of Phantom's castle searching for the other two of our guildmates that had come through here.

"Gray! Loke! Where are you guys?" Elfman shouted.

"Is he really calling out to them?" I whispered to Mira over Elfman's shoulder. "Does he really think someone's going to hear him?"

Of course, as fate would have it, someone called back. Or more accurately coughed back, "Elfman! That you?" It sounded a lot like Loke. "I'm over here!"

Hearing who we presumed to be Loke, we followed the voice and found our guildmate standing up, bent over, and leaning against the wall, taking shallow breaths which caused him to cough every so often. He didn't look so good.

"Loke! What happened to you?" Elfman asked as we approached him.

"That fire bastard," Loke said between breaths, sliding down the wall. "Didn't think there was anyone's fire more annoying than Natsu's."

"Are you alright?" I asked, now noticing the multitude of burns across his skin. Seemed he'd been through a hell of a fight.

"I'm fine," he shrugged off my worry. "It's just a few burns."

Silence descended on our group before Mira broke it. "Loke, we've got to ask," she started seriously. "What happened to Totomaru?"

"Unconscious somewhere back there," he said pointing down the hall he's just come from.

Mira sighed in relief. "That's good to hear," she said positively. "Now we've just got to deal with two of the Element Four and then the guild will be safe."

"Will it?"

We all looked at Loke… well, Mira and Elfman did. I was staring at an empty hallway due to still being slung over the younger siblings shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Mira asked.

Loke's fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly. "You damn well know what I mean," he cried out in anguish. "I-I failed. So many of our friends are probably injured because I couldn't stop that stupid cannon from firing."

Even if I couldn't see Loke, I knew he was tearing up from how his voice was cracking. "I'm… I'm just so useless," he continued pathetically. "I do nothing but get the ones I care about injured or…" he shuddered. " _Killed_."

I don't think he was talking about our guild when he said the latter…

There was a long and ominous silence as we all took in what Loke had just said to us.

 _PFFT… PFFT_ —

Well… most of us anyways…

— _HAHAHA!_

I couldn't contain my laughter and started to laugh even though it hurt every muscle and fiber in my body. "This is too much," I cried in pain and laughter. "Make it stop, it hurts but it's too funny to stop laughing."

To Loke, it must have seemed unbelievably cruel. A strapping young man (if I dare say) laughing at him because he thought that his guildmates were in danger because he couldn't stop the Jupiter Cannon…

… To be fair, it _did_ seem really cruel.

I continued to laugh though in spite of it. Loke finally had enough. "What's so funny?" he snapped, getting angry at me.

I attempted intelligent conversation through my peals of laughter. God I really was an asshole, wasn't I? "No one was killed in that blast," I said proudly. "In fact, I managed to stop it all by myself," my chest puffed out at that.

Loke stared at me in a mix of awe and disbelief. I didn't know which of the two he was leaning towards but what he said next made me believe the latter. "Bullshit," he said, his previous worries about the guild having gone out the window. "There's no way _you_ , someone with no magic could do that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked offended.

"It means that something with that much magical energy couldn't have possibly-"

I held up my hand to quiet him. "Wait a minute," I said, lightly tapping Elfman on the shoulder. "Could you turn me around please?"

Elfman rolled his eyes but complied with my request.

I was now looking Loke in the eyes. "Okay, what were you saying again?" I asked.

Loke seemed peeved at my simple actions. "I said that there's no way something of that high caliber of magic like the Jupiter Cannon could be stopped by the likes of you," he said with a vicious smirk.

Now I was glaring at him. He'd more or less just tossed all the hard work I'd put into training for the past month aside and spat on it for good measure. I was starting to understand the guilds obsession with bar fights and such. I wanted nothing more than to punch that smug look off of that damn cat spirit's face.

Unfortunately, I never even got the chance to try and do that because Mira stepped between the both of us. "Would you two please stop," she asked kindly. "We still have two more of the Elemental Four we have to deal with unless we _really_ want our friends and family to be killed by Abyss Break."

Loke and I spared each other one more glare before we both looked away from each other. I was still damn peeved at the guy but I knew where I priorities were and knew what had to be done. Which meant putting away our differences—

"Fine, just keep the _useless_ brat away from me," Loke said. "Thank you very much."

—Scratch that, Loke was going to be served up well done after we were done taking care of Jose and his Phantom goons.

Having come to a general consensus, we moved on. We traveled further up Phantom's headquarters seeing as that was probably where their guild leader would be. Right up in the head of Phantom's Giant.

As we continued along, many thoughts crossed my mind such as whether Gray was okay? Or Natsu had protected Lucy? Or our guildmates had defeated Jose's specters? Or even if Elfman would put me down because I was sure I could walk again.

My latter thought was of little concern though. I liked not walking after all.

Though there was one thing that I could tell was on all our minds, and that was whether or not we really stood a snowball's chance in hell of defeating Jose. Even though the story made him seem weak next to Makarov, we definitely paled in comparison to Phantom's guild master. He was a Wizard Saint for a reason as much as it hurt me to say it.

"So what are we going to do about Phantom's leader?" Loke asked seriously, confirming my earlier thoughts on the matter.

None of us had an answer to that. We all knew what the most likely outcome of the battle would be. Without even an S-class, barring Mira, at our side, we stood next to no chance of defeating Jose.

With no answer at hand, none of us would reply. No could reply. We just didn't have a solution to the dilemma that we faced. Err… I mean I did, but the others didn't.

Coming out of my thoughts, we were now on the shoulders of the stone machine and could see a very familiar shape a little further down with a woman lying at his feet, her face red for _whatever_ reason that could be.

"Gray!" Elfman shouted, running up to the man with me in tow. "You're alive!"

Gray smiled but frowned when he saw Mira and I. "Mira? Nate?" he asked, looking at Elfman for an answer. "What are they doing here?"

The older Strauss sibling made to reply but stopped. Come to think of it, he wasn't even aware of how we got up here. Or more importantly how his sister was up here… surrounded by enemies… in the middle of danger.

He put me down and stared at me. Not aggressively _yet_ , just curiously.

I sighed. "It's not like I wanted to bring Mira here myself, Elfman. It's not like I want to put any of my friends in danger either," I replied honestly. "It was Jose. He warped Mira up here and myself after I tried to push her out of the way."

Elfman seemed to contemplate what I said and eventually nodded. "That sounds understandable," he said.

I sighed, glad that Elfman was much more reasonable than I'd previously thought. Really, the story that Hiro had written really made the others out to be downright overprotective, self-sacrificing bastards-

Elfman's arm quickly wrapped around my neck and he pulled me in, unconcerned with my wounds, which I might add were his fault. "But if you let my sister come into another compromising situation like that ever again," he threatened. "I will personally see to it that these injuries that you have and the ones you received from Gajeel look like a paper cut to what I have in store for you. We clear?"

I nodded. "Crystal clear," I said glumly. Who did he think he was? I was the one who was taking the beating when all things were considered… though I couldn't put all the blame on him, I would do anything for my _family_ as well…

I shook my head. "Never mind that," I said, looking down to the very familiar woman on the ground. Her curled bright blue hair and deep blue frilly clothing a dead giveaway to who she was. "That's Juvia of the Element Four, right?" to which I got a nod from Gray. "Then that means we only have one left."

A fiery passion flew between everyone else as I came to the quick conclusion that they all wanted revenge for the old man after what happened and honestly, so did I.

The machinery beneath our feet groaned and I looked up to see that the Abyss Break spell was almost complete. "We've got to get going now if we want to have any chance of taking down this thing before it unleashes that magic," I cautioned warily. The Giant completed another section of the magic circle.

Seeing that I was right, we all rushed off to the head of Phantom's Giant leaving a very flushed Juvia to mumble Gray's name in bliss.

I leaned over to Gray. "I think she's fallen for you," I said suggestively, wiggling my eyebrows to the best of my abilities. Which was still horrendous.

Gray looked back at the woman on the ground trembling in excitement and mumbling his name happily then shook his head. "She's clearly shaking in rage and mumbling that she'll get revenge on me," he clarified ignorantly.

I blinked at the density that Gray was showing. I mean, I didn't want to sound rude or anything but… that was just Natsu level density.

"Give it a month or so, she'll join Fairy Tail," I said confidently.

Gray shook his head. "If that happens, I'll buy you a drink for proving me wrong," he snorted and ran off to catch up with the others.

I shook my head. He was going to owe me a drink soon.

"So you're the one that stopped our Jupiter Cannon?" a deep voice questioned from around me and I froze in place. "I heard from Gajeel that you weren't so tough but I suppose he stood corrected in the end."

My head darted left and right as I searched for the source of the voice. I knew exactly who it belonged to and that just made it all the more terrifying to know that he'd personally taken an interest.

I knew that I didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of defeating him. Even when I wasn't exhausted he just had that much more experience and training than I did. He also knew the only ace I had up my sleeve thanks to Gajeel.

"You've lost. Just give up and deactivate the spell," I said boldly, my eyes drifting to my friends that were getting further away. "If I call my friends over, it'd be four on one. Even you know you'd have to be a fool to take that chance."

Again, he echoed around me. "You think I'd be so careless as to let you call your friends over?" he belittled. "Sound doesn't travel through a vacuum. I'm sure you know that."

It was only then that I noticed the absence of wind. He'd trapped me before I'd even knew it myself.. "What do you want with me, Aria?" I asked with a frown. "If it's to fight me, then be ready to be thoroughly unimpressed."

"Oh, I don't want to fight you or anything. Far from it actually," Aria said, his words confusing me and making me wonder what he meant by them. "You see, you pose a threat to Master Jose's plans, and as such, I'm here to eliminate you at his request."

I felt a gust of wind behind and slowly turned around.

Aria stood proud and tall. His cactus green hat casting his blindfolds in shadows and a cloak of the same color billowing in the wind. A baby blue scarf wrapped around his collar and a red skull charm hung at his chest.

He looked down at me with pity. "Now die."

The blindfolded man swung his arm down towards me.

A searing pain dug into my shoulder and I clenched my teeth until I felt they were going to break from the pressure. I didn't dare look at my injury lest I wanted another reason to be queasy aside from the loss of blood.

"Gah!" I shouted, pleading for someone to hear me. No one did though.

I looked up at Aria with tears staining my eyes. To my surprise, his eyes reflected my own. "I'm sorry," he said, wiping at his blindfolds. He raised his arm again. "But I shall end this with a gift. I will allow you to suffer along with your master."

On instinct, I closed my eyes and lifted my arms in a guard, well aware of the futility of my actions. And I waited for the inevitable…

And waited…

And waited a bit longer…

But the blow never came. I opened one eye tentatively.

"I made it just in time," Erza sighed, standing in front of me with an arm holding up Aria's own.

"What? But how?" Aria asked. "You took the full brunt of an attack from the Jupiter Cannon? How are you standing?"

Erza glanced at me before looking back at the strongest of the Element Four once more. "I'm not going to just sit back while you steal Lucy from us," she snarled. "We will get her back, I swear upon my life."

Aria composed himself quickly and chuckled. "Well, now that I'm faced with a worthy opponent, I guess it's time I start taking my battles a little more seriously," he said casually, tugging his blindfold off and revealing his eyes.

They were a deep magenta, eerie to those who had the privilege of gazing upon them.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Erza asked.

"Careful, Erza," I said, spitting out some blood that had welled up in my mouth. "Aria covers his eyes to suppress his immense magical powers. Now that he's opened them, we don't know what he's capable of."

"The boy speaks the truth," Aria nodded. "You should be proud of the fact that I consider you worthy enough for me to wield this power."

Erza gritted her teeth and materialized a sword. "I'll only be proud when I-"

Whatever the red-head was going to say was lost when a blinding light illuminated the sky, forcing us to look away. "Ah, it's finally ready," Aria said calmly. "The magic circle for Abyss Break has been completed."

Hearing his words, I looked down towards Magnolia and saw, between it and us, that the light was, in fact, the completed magic circle.

Though my gaze only lingered for a minute. Something else caught my attention. "Erza, look out!" I shouted.

Reacting to my words, she rolled to the left, narrowly dodging a punch that punctured the stone beneath. Erza turned to the Phantom wizard with her guard up.

Aria stood back up to his full height. A gentle breeze beginning to whirl around his body, extending outwards slowly but surely. "Now, Titania. Step into Zero; Airspace of death," the wind picked up and the heavy debris of stone littering the golem followed. "It devours the lives of anyone or anything that dares to enter."

I braced myself as close to the ground as possible, hoping that I wouldn't get picked up by the miniature tornado.

"A spell that consumes lives?" Erza asked. She pointed her sword toward the offender. "How could you do that? How could you take someone's life so easily? You're no better than someone of a dark guild!"

"Do not compare me to those low lives," Aria snarled. "For they lack in the talent and skill that I, a legal guild member, possess."

Erza screamed and charged at Aria furiously. "You will pay!" she cried.

Aria smiled, holding his two arms up in a hand formation. "Let's see how well you handle this, Titania!" he shouted back, pushing outwards with both arms. A stream of wind howled as it rushed to devour her.

It never reached her though. As she sliced right through it and kept on going, not missing a single stride in her efforts to reach the last of the Element Four.

"But how?" Aria asked himself in fear. He threw another which she just as easily sliced through. "How are you able to do that?"

Erza didn't bother to deem that with a reply, instead she continued to hack and slash her way through Aria's most powerful spell in his arsenal as if she hadn't taken a full on hit from the Jupiter Cannon.

Damn, she was strong… and scary. Very scary.

When Erza reached Aria, I knew that it was over. He had lost his composure as he probably wasn't used to many being able to pass through his defenses with such ease. He fell to the floor as Erza jumped high into the air, re-equipping into her Heaven's Wheel from her Heart Kreuz.

Dozens of swords materialized around her and she flew down towards Aria, her many glowing swords following closely. When she reached the Phantom wizard, he was too surprised to do anything.

Erza brought both her arms back and pushed past him, dragging her swords across Aria's body. "Blumenblatt," she commanded.

It was like her attack had painted a target on the Airspace wizard. For after Erza had hacked and slashed at Aria, her swords followed soon after, piercing through the man's body and pinning him to the floor.

"She did it," I said to myself. "And in one hit no less…"

Erza shifted back to her Heart Kreuz and looked back at Aria. "Someone like can't even hold a candle to a _real_ legal wizard," Erza said in spite. "You'll be remembered as nothing but a sobbing coward for what you've done."

When all was said by Erza and Aria was rendered unconscious, the magic giant that we stood upon crumpled into the lake while the blinding light from the massive magic circle dulled, slowly dissipating into nothingness. "You did it, Erza," I said, standing up with only a slight wince of pain. Most of it was focused around my upper body anyways. "You managed to stop the Abyss Break spell."

I didn't get a reply and I looked up to see that Erza's Heart Kreuz had vanished. "Erza?" I asked worriedly.

She started to sway back and forth. "Erza!" I shouted.

She fell over and I rushed forwards, ignoring my screaming limbs, to see if she was okay. I checked her pulse and sighed in relief. She was alive. Probably just exhausted from having taken a shot from the Jupiter Cannon then fighting Aria of the Element Four no more than an hour later.

"Nate!" my head turned to see Elfman, Gray, Loke, and Mira running towards us. "What happened to you?" Gray then saw Erza lying on the ground. "What's Erza doing here? And what happened to her as well?"

I glanced over my shoulder at the defeated Aria. The others seemed to have followed my gaze as well. "You guys defeated him?" Mira asked.

I shook my head. "No, Erza did. I just took a blade of wind to my shoulder and was rendered useless," I joked. It didn't seem to help with the atmosphere though.

"Is she okay?" Elfman asked.

I nodded. "She's just unconscious right now. Used up a lot of energy with the Jupiter Cannon and came up here to save my ass," I really owed her a lot. I'd have to thank her when she woke up.

I smiled despite the situation. "But guys, we did what we came here to do," I said, feeling accomplished. "We stopped both the Jupiter Cannon and Abyss Break from destroying everything. We should be-"

I suddenly shivered as I felt death overcome my senses.

"What's this feeling?" Loke asked, looking around warily. "And who's causing it?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Jose," I said bitterly.

A slow clap resonated from behind us and we all turned around to see who. "Bravo, Nathaniel Valentine. Bravo," Jose smirked, his hands ceasing further action. "I'm surprised you were able to tell who it was."

I frowned. "You reek of death," I said with distaste.

The man stood a little further away from us, dressed in a long military blue coat. A short red and white cape billowed in the wind over his left arm and a pair of knee-high black military boots completed the ensemble.

Jose smiled, ignoring my insult in favor of voicing his own thoughts. "You flatter me, Nathaniel," he said happily. I hated it. "After all, I should thank you for entertaining me so. It's been quite a while since I've had this much… fun."

I had a sneaky suspicion that he was not indeed having _fun_. "You stopped not one but two blasts from _my_ Jupiter Cannon disposed of _my_ Element Four, and even managed to bring _my_ magic giant to its knees."

"What do you really want?" I spat.

"Me?" he asked, offended by my tone. "You've been so kind to me that I just simply want to return the favor."

"Are you ready?" Gray asked, lowering himself.

Elfman nodded. "You bet."

"As I'll ever be," Loke agreed.

Jose whispered something beneath his breath and I saw Elfman, Gray, and Loke ready an attack. "Ice-Make Saucer," Gray voiced.

"Beast Arm: Iron Bull!" Elfman shouted, morphing his arm.

"Twister!" Loke cried as he held his ring.

"Wait, don't do it!" Erza shouted, startling me as I didn't know she had awoken.

Though her warning fell on deaf ears as Elfman, Gray, and Loke were already attacking Jose. The Phantom guild master grinned maniacally. "How absurd of you to think you're on the same level of power as myself!" he shouted, holding out an arm and creating a magic circle. Many small purple projectiles shot out.

They all landed on their marks. Sickening crunches heard each time one hit its mark. "Argh!" the three cried as they fell to the floor in pain, all of them defeated in a single blow.

"Elfman! Gray! Loke!" Mira shouted.

Erza struggled to stand in my arms and Jose swiped his arm across where the other two Fairy Tail wizards fell. A large explosion of crimson detonated on their bodies and they were thrown across the room.

Erza would have none of that. Even though she'd taken a blow from the Jupiter Cannon and fought Aria of the Element Four, she pushed herself up and ran at Jose. Shifting into her Black Wing, she swung at Jose who easily sidestepped it.

"I'm surprised you're still standing after everything you've been through," Jose noted. "You've got plenty of power and potential. Why don't you join Phantom Lord and leave these weaklings behind?" he asked shamelessly.

Erza snarled. "I'd rather die than betray my friends and family," she replied.

Jose paused and shook his head. "That's too bad," he said, holding a magic circle up to the red-head. More of the small purple projectiles shot out and Erza cut through them. Slowly advancing on Jose.

"Just what does he have that I don't?" he asked in spite. "I could give any of you Fairy Tail wizards wealth, fame, or even glory and yet I'm still so certain that you'd choose Makarov. So what does he have that I don't?"

Erza didn't reply, couldn't reply. She was too focused on cutting a path to Phantom's guild master to deal with his rant.

"You know what really irks me about Fairy Tail?" Jose asked, continuing to pellet Erza with his magic. Some starting to get through her defenses. "The fact that wizards such as yourself, Titania, decide to align with the likes of Makarov."

His projectiles increased in numbers and speed, and Erza was forced to stop her approach and evade. "For as long as I can remember, Phantom Lord has always been at the top," he started. "We've got the most powerful spells, the most capitals to our name, and the most members to any other guild."

"However recently, the name Fairy Tail has been popping up wherever I go," he continued slowly. "Whenever I go out in public, all I hear are names such as Erza, Laxus, and Mystogan. It's driving me crazy!" his face expressed pure rage. "I refuse to be associated with such a feeble guild!"

"Silence!" Erza shouted as she rushed him. "So we're fighting for our lives because you're jealous of us?"

"Jealous?" Jose asked, sounding offended as he moved out of the way of Erza's weak attempt to strike him. "No, no, no. We're simply trying to prove to the people that we're the dominant guild. Nothing more."

"How could you?" Erza exclaimed. "All of this pain that my friends and family suffered through… all for such a petty reason!"

It wasn't Erza who I saw fighting Jose at that point, she was fueled by anger and no longer thinking straight. She lacked the skill and grace that she normally had when she was calm and collected.

"Erza, calm down!" I shouted. "You're letting him get to you!"

Erza wouldn't listen. She kept chasing after Jose, hacking and slashing away at him to no avail. It wasn't until she had tired herself out did the Shade wizard make his move.

With a magic circle, he summoned three of his shades which quickly bound themselves around Erza. She screamed in pain.

"Although I'm not particularly fond of your guild," Jose explained with a snarl. "Something so trivial wasn't the reason that I started this war."

"Then what was?" Erza asked through grit teeth.

Jose looked at Erza. "We were hired by the patriarch of the Heartfilia family to find his missing daughter," he explained. "In other words, we're here for Lucy and taking your troublesome guild out was just a bonus."

"Now with the child of one of the kingdom's most wealthy socialites, you plan on usurping our position as the top guild of Fiore," Jose continued in disgust. He then shook in rage. "I will not allow it!"

His magic grew more powerful and Erza started to writher in pain. I wanted to help but my body was at its limits, I couldn't even lift a finger.

To Jose's and my surprise, Erza was smiling. "It's laughable how concerned you are with something as meaningless as your guild's rank," she remarked. "But, I'm even more amused by how misinformed you are about Lucy."

"What?" Jose asked.

"Lucy came to us as a runaway. She doesn't have access to her family's fortune," Erza said passionately. "She rents a place for seventy thousand Jewel a month, she works hard for a living just like we do, she fights alongside us, she laughs with us, and she cries with us. She's just like any other wizard of any other guild."

Erza glared at Jose. "And she's why we're at war?"

The S-class wizard struggled against her bonds. "She may be the daughter of the Heartfilia family," she started. "But just as flowers can't choose where they bloom, neither can children choose their parents."

Jose growled before a devious smile formed on his lips. "It doesn't matter to me. I'll torture her and keep her prisoner until her father meets my _every_ demand. I will have the Heartfilia fortune one way or another."

"Curse you!" Erza cried as she grappled with the energy holding her.

Jose smirked. "I wouldn't struggle if I were you," he said, conjuring up two more of his shades. "It'll only make this more painful!"

The shades floated up to Erza and started to leech the life force out of her. The screams that she was making made my stomach drop. It was sickening…

… and a point in which I didn't care what happened to me anymore as long as it got him to stop hurting my friends.

"Compassion!" I blurted spontaneously, answering Jose's earlier question that Erza hadn't. It gathered both of their attention. "That's what Makarov has over you. He cares for every single one of his guild members! While you don't care about any of them and think just of your reputation!"

Silence reigned as I spoke those bitter truths. Then Jose frowned and released Erza of his shades. My relief was short lived though as not a moment later, hands were clamped around my own neck as I struggled to break free.

"Compassion, you say," Jose spat. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard. The members of your guild should see that you are above everyone else. That you are someone that they can idolize and want to be just like. Not some nobody who will say nice words and do kind things for his people."

I looked him dead in the eyes. "And that's why Fairy Tail will surpass you," I said easily.

The next part wasn't nearly as easy. What with the sudden jolts of pain streaming through my body and the sickening screams. It was as if my soul was being torn out of my body, one little rip at a time.

I don't know how long I was screaming or writhing in pain but my throat was hoarse when Jose eventually stopped. His shades dissipated into thin air, releasing and dropped me to the floor.

I fell to all fours, panting heavily. "Think carefully of what you say next. They may be the last things you say," Jose threatened, having walked up to me. "You may have lived through dark magic such as Lullaby and Deliora," he raised my head and looked me in the eyes. "But how will you survive me?"

I shook violently, his fear instilled in myself. He was right. There was no chance of survival. I had provoked him and now I was paying for it in full. I was still far too weak. What was I thinking? A couple weeks of training and I'd be able to fight on level with a Wizard Saint? Hell, even an S-class? I was a fool.

When I finally let myself fall into the depths of despair and all looked bleak, a glimmer of hope shined through the endless expanse of darkness.

A slight tremor.

It was almost enough to make me laugh out loud while in the presence of the Wizard Saint, Jose Porla. But I didn't. Instead, I just gave Phantom's guild master the largest smile I could muster with my bruised and battered body and replied, "You're right, Jose. There's no way I could fight you head on and hope to live through it," he seemed confused at my words. "But I won't have to. Because you made one crucial mistake in your plans."

Jose smiled at that. "And what might that be?" he asked smugly.

I returned the smile with my own. "You didn't account for our master returning to the fight," I said simply.

When I said that, the tremors became more noticeable. The walls cracked and pure white light streamed from the crevices, blinding myself and everyone else who was still conscious. Jose let go and I fell over, unable to hold myself up.

"Jose!" a voice boomed. It was Makarov.

"Makarov," Jose returned. If he was surprised, he hid it well.

Our guild master descended from the above and looked over us before settling a glare on Jose. "You have shed the blood of our children and that is unforgivable," Makarov stated passively. "They have been made to suffer because of the incompetence of their parents. We are both to blame, Jose."

"This war between our guilds has gone on for long enough," Makarov continued. "Let's settle this here and now. Just the two of us!"

Jose took a deep breath before an immense dark aura flared around his right arm. "If we fight, it might just create a catastrophe," he warned.

Makarov held out his left arm and pointed his index finger. A ball of condensed light materialized there. "In order to save my guild and my children, I will gladly take that risk," he said with the best of intentions.

The ground trembled as the two Wizard Saints stood opposite each other. Neither one willing to make the first move against the other.

It was Jose who caved first. He outstretched his right arm and a purple magic circle appeared on his palm. From it, two spiraling blasts of darkness raced towards Makarov, ready to devour him upon contact.

Without budging, five golden magic circles appeared in front of Makarov, holding back the powerful dark magic Jose wielded. Our guild master turned to us. "You kids need to get out of here while you still can," he demanded.

"Yes, Master," Erza complied. She then turned to me and gingerly picked me up bridal style. Much to my embarrassment. Sh then turned to the others. "Do as the Master says and get out of here! I've got Nate!"

Gray seemed to have an issue with that. "But, Erza!" Gray started to argue. "We can't just leave gramps here! He'll get himself killed."

"Gray's right," Loke agreed with the ice wizard. "The Master's only just recovered. He won't be able to last in a fight with Phantom's leader at this rate."

"If we stay here, all we'll be doing is getting in the Master's way. He has the better odds of winning if he doesn't have to worry about our safety," Erza countered. "He knows what he's doing. I have faith in him."

My friends hesitated at first but saw the reason behind what Erza was saying. They quickly left before the fight between Wizard Saints could begin.

Before Erza also saw reason to follow our friends, something caught my eye. It was almost unnoticeable, being a small twitch and nothing more. But I saw it and because of that, I focused in on it.

Four words being mouthed. _You kept your promise._

* * *

When we'd managed to get off of Phantom's Giant, which was reduced now to nothing more than a hunk of metal and stone, the battle within Magnolia was still going as strong as it had been when Mira and I were abducted.

Magic was being shot in all directions with little care of whether or not it hit its mark. It made me wonder if we'd taken out any of our own. Because of this Gray was forced to erect a barrier of ice to protect us.

"Erza! Gray! Elfman! Loke! You guys are okay!" someone shouted.

We all looked over to see Macao running over to us. He took a few deep breaths once he reached us, most likely tired from all the fighting. He then looked at the two remaining members, which included Mira and me. And to my endless relief, Erza was no longer carrying me and only helped support my weight. I don't think my dignity could take the embarrassment. "And I see you also managed to find both Nate and Mira as well. That's great!"

Gray nodded. "How are things going down here, Cana?" he asked.

Not so well," a new voice pitched in. Cana appeared before us as a card flew above our growing group. "There's no end to these shades."

"And I'm quickly running out of Bomb Lacrimas!" Wakaba chimed from a bit further away.

"That's fine," Erza added confidently. "We only need to hold out for the tiniest bit longer. The Master's currently engaged in combat with Jose, which I have no doubt he'll win. And when he does, this war will be over."

"I hope so," Macao pondered. "I don't think we could last much longer."

There was a silence when all that could be heard were the magical spells being thrown without aim or care. That silence was broken with more good news in the form of a shout. "Hey, guys! Over here!" another voice called from further away.

We all looked up again and were pleasantly surprised with who we saw. It was Natsu, bruised and battered but alive all the same. He was being supported by Lucy, who looked much better with only a few noticeable injuries. Happy floated right behind them with a smile.

"Lucy! Natsu!" Gray shouted, running up to the two Fairy Tail wizards. He then looked his fire wizard friend up and down. "What happened to you, Natsu?" he asked, showing genuine concern for his friend's wellbeing.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "My dragon instincts were right. Someone did come after Lucy," he explained to us. "It was that iron dragon slayer guy," an innocent smile then graced his features. "Too bad I beat the crap out of him. Right, Lucy?"

Lucy smiled, blushing wildly. It was cute. "Yeah… yeah, you did, Natsu," she agreed, tearing up slightly. "Thank you."

It was kind of funny to see the confidence that Natsu held moments ago disappear in place of panic. "Lucy? Why are you crying? Was it something I said?" he asked. "If it was something I said, I'm really sorry."

"Wait to go, moron," Gray frowned. "You made her cry."

"Me?" Natsu asked in surprise.

"Yeah, you," Gray replied. "Who else here is a moron, flame brain?"

Natsu growled. "Are you trying to start something here, ice princess?" he retaliated.

Gray snorted. "In that state, I could fight you with just my left arm," he taunted, lifting just left arm to infuriate Natsu even further.

"Why you-" that's as far as Natsu got before an arm was placed on his shoulder. One that made him go stock still. Gray, seeing the arm placed on his rival's shoulder, adopted a similar reaction to the fire dragon slayer.

"You two wouldn't be fighting, would you?" Erza asked.

Natsu and Gray quickly linked arms as if they'd been best buddies for years. "N-No, Erza! Why would you think something like that?" he squeaked in fear. "It was just some playful banter! Nothing more, isn't that right, Natsu?"

Natsu smiled. "Aye," he imitated.

Happy frowned, drooping slightly. "Hey, that's my line," he sulked dejectedly.

I smirked. Some things just never changed.

To everyone's surprise, once more, Lucy laughed. She wiped away the tears that welled in her eyes and smiled joyously.

Everyone just stared at her before slowly, one by one, we all looked at one another donning our own smile. The fact that Lucy could smile at a time like this meant that we should all be doing the same. If not for her then for ourselves.

When we all had our moment, Natsu's eyes were drawn to me… and I wondered why. I didn't have to wait long though, he wasn't one to beat around the bush. "What happened to you, Nate?" Natsu asked. "You look like absolute shit."

I smirked. "You don't look much better than I do."

"Yeah but I fought that iron dragon slayer," Natsu said. "What's your excuse?"

I raised a hand to count everything that had happened to me in only a few hours or so. "Well, I stopped a blast from the Jupiter Cannon completely emptying my entire energy reserves," I said. Already Natsu was impressed.

One finger rose…

"Then got crushed for the better part of a few minutes in that thing's hand," I pointed at the ruined stone machine in the lake. My broken thumb ached.

Two fingers rose…

"Took a few heavy hits from Sol. Pretty sure I broke a few ribs," I lied. The latter wasn't a lie though, I could still feel pain in my rib cage.

Three fingers rose…

"Got cut up by Aria," I added, glancing at the bleeding wound on my shoulder. It'd been bleeding this entire time? How had I not passed out from blood loss?

Four fingers rose…

"And finally, nearly got my soul sucked out by Jose."

My broken thumb rose…

Everyone looked at me crazily. "What?" Lucy asked in surprise.

I quirked a brow. "You don't believe me?" I replied. "Well it's understandable but you just need to ask Cana, then Mira, then-"

"It's not that I don't believe you," Lucy rectified. "It's just… why would you go that far?"

I was about to reply but stopped. Why would I go that far? I hadn't gone this far for anyone, not even my family. Noted, there never was a reason to fight to the death for my family but the principal was still there. So why?

"Hey look!" Happy shouted, pointing towards the wreck of Phantom's Giant.

It was glowing. Well, to be precise, it's shoulder was glowing which meant that Makarov was going to end the fight soon.

"Get ready for something amazing," I said, knowing what was coming next.

The light that Makarov was producing shined even brighter, basking the city in an ethereal gold glow. It felt warm against my skin.

"Guys, the shades are disappearing," Wakaba announced, putting away his Bomb Lacrimas as everyone else in the guild put away their magic items or magic altogether.

"What's happening, Nate?" Lucy asked.

Erza smiled, also knowledgeable in the spell being cast. I was content to let her explain. "This is Fairy Law," she explained. "Arguably one of the strongest spells created in existence. It inflicts damage only on those that the caster perceives as their enemy, leaving allies completely unharmed. It's a magic that cannot lie and the choice between friend or foe is determined by the caster's heart and nothing more."

We all watched on in awe. There was a reason he was the guild master. And one of those reasons was on full display for us to witness. His unrivaled magical power and prowess left nothing to the imagination.

As the wonder of the spell slowly wore off on me, I soaked in the blanket of warmth that Fairy Law was radiating. Like the embrace of a loved one. Of someone that really, really cared about you.

And then a slow realization of something dawned on me. I looked left and right at all the familiar faces of my new friends who were gazing up at the glowing sky with a smile grazing their lips. I think they realized it as well

"Because you guys are worth it," I answered Lucy's now forgotten question confidently.

Though I don't think she heard.

That was fine with me.

Only I needed to know. It was embarrassing after all.

* * *

Well that was a sweet little ending to the Phantom Lord chapter! Little Nate here is really starting to warm up to his Fairy friends! Plus he's unlocked his magic! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you guys in the next one!


	9. Chapter ? - Christmas Special 1

**Author Notes:**

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope you are all having a great Christmas. Sorry, I'm uploading this so late during the evening, I had to spend time with the family and I hadn't finished this till maybe five minutes from when this is gonna be posted. I hope you're all satisfied with my sub-par writing, didn't have much time to re-read it (really need a beta reader or something if I'm gonna be honest), and the next chapter will be out sometime within the next few days. For now, just enjoy the story!

Edit: Noticed that I didn't place some sort of divider between blooper scenes. I've now added them.

Edit Edit: It didn't work and I'm re-uploading it again to see if it works :(

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter ? - Christmas Special**

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house-"

"But it's not even night time yet."

"Shh, Sarah, you're ruining the story," I said gently. "Now can I continue?"

"Yes," she chimed.

"Good, now where was I?" I mused, scouring the sheets of paper that I wrote the story down on. "Ah, yes. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there-"

"But isn't St. Nicholas just a myth?" Romeo asked. "I mean he's not real, right? It would be weird if he came down your chimney."

My eye twitched at having been interrupted once more but before I could continue I was cut off again. "What? St. Nicholas isn't real?" Sarah asked, distraught at the idea that Romeo proposed.

I picked her up and put her in my lap. "Of course he is, sweetie," I said dotingly, tickling her stomach which elicited a giggle from her. "He's just really, really good at sneaking around and that's why people like _Romeo_ here," I glared at him for good measure, making him shrink back. "Don't believe in his existence."

"Do you think you could finish the story?" Sarah asked.

I smiled. "Sure thing, kiddo," I said, tussling her hair a bit. She tried to stop me as futile as it was. "Anyways, the children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads-"

I heard laughter and I glared up at Natsu. "Sugar plums? Really?" he asked.

I quirked a brow. "What's wrong with sugarplums?" I countered. "They're small, sweet, and easy to eat."

Natsu continued to chuckle. "Well, why would anyone want to eat a candied plum?"

"But that's…" I started but quickly shut my mouth. This was Natsu we're talking about. He wouldn't understand what I was saying anyway. I might as well just ignore what he said and move along "You know what, never mind."

I recalled where I'd left off and continued with the story. "And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter's nap-"

"You don't have a girl, Nate," Loke snorted, leading into peals of laughter from the rest of my peers present at the guild that day.

I sighed. "Can I just finish the story?" I asked simply.

When no one replied, I took that as my cue to continue reading. "When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter; away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash; gave the lustre of midday to objects below, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer-"

"Wait?" Elfman interrupted. "Why are they tiny reindeer? That's not manly at all."

"For the love of God-" I stopped myself and took a deep breath. "It's depth perception, Elfman. They're not actually tiny reindeer. They just seem that way in the story because they're just that far away, okay?"

Without actually waiting to see if anyone else would interrupt, I continued the story. "With a little old driver, so lively and quick; I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick-"

"Don't you mean, Santa Claus?" Erza chimed in.

I dropped the sheets to the floor and closed my eyes, refusing to read any more of the story. "Screw you guys," I said.

Lucy giggled. "C'mon, Nate. We're just messing with you," she said. "Will you please finish the story? I've never heard something like this before."

I shook my head in a faux offence. "I refuse to read any more of this story," I said stubbornly, a hint of a smile reaching the corner of my lip. "If you guys want to finish it, read it on your own time," gesturing to the papers on the ground.

"C'mon Nate. Where's your holiday spirit?" Gray asked with a teasing smile.

"You're all slowly stealing it away," I replied sarcastically.

I felt Sarah hug my chest affectionately. "There, there," she said reassuringly. "I won't let Gray steal your 'holiday spirit.'"

Innocent as ever, my sarcasm had gone right over little Sarah's head. Laughter rang through the guild including my own, while my sister just stared up at me smiling. Clueless to what we were all laughing at.

I ruffled her hair again. She cutely pouted.

As I picked up the sheets of paper and was about to continue reading, Makarov drew all of our attention when he jumped onto the table we were at. He was wearing a Santa hat, most likely in favour of the holiday spirit.

"Sorry, Nathaniel. But I'm afraid your story's going to have to wait," he said sympathetically. "I have an important announcement I have to share with everyone."

I gestured at the table that Romeo, Sarah, and I sat at. "The floor's yours, Master. Don't let my _interrupted_ stories stop you," I said, glaring at my friends. At least Lucy had the decency to be somewhat embarrassed.

He nodded at me in appreciation before directing his attention to the rest of the guild, who was watching the short man curiously. He coughed lightly into his fist. "Children, I am aware that tomorrow is Christmas," he started with a large smile. "And I'd just like to say Merry Christmas to those I won't be seeing tomorrow."

The volume of the guild rose, as confused murmurs turned to full-blown cheers at the mention of the coming holiday.

Makarov raised his arm for silence and the cheering died down quickly. "As I was saying, it will be Christmas tomorrow and I'm sure most of you know of Magnolia's tradition for Christmas Eve," he said.

Again the volume of the guild returned and, if possible, was louder than before.

Our guild master raised his arm for silence once more and the cheering died down slowly. "Though, there's been a problem," he continued. "The train that the performers were going to arrive on was snowed in. They won't be able to make it to Magnolia Town in time for tonight."

There was an uproar at the revelation. Many of the Fairy Tail wizards shocked or saddened by what they were hearing. Meanwhile, Lucy, Sarah and I sat there, clueless to what everyone was talking about.

"The Master speaks of the Winter Musical that's held every year on Christmas Eve," Erza summarized. "It's been a long-standing tradition of Magnolia's that dates back all the way to the X600's."

That made a little more sense, I guess? But something was still bothering me. How did the Master know about this incident? It was obvious he wasn't a part of the group that dealt with the tradition, otherwise, he would have said so. That just begged the question, where did he stumble upon the information? Unless…

"But don't worry, my children. There's still a way we can save it," he continued, brimming with hope. Many people's heads perked. "The mayor and I spoke and we've come up with a solution."

I quirked a brow. "We're going to perform the Winter Musical, aren't we?" I said, cutting off the Master before he could say it himself.

Makarov nodded. "Yes, that is the solution that we came up with," he agreed. The short man then turned to the rest of the guild. "This may be asking too much of all of you, but would you help me save Christmas?"

There was dead silence in the guild. And I couldn't blame them. Makarov had more or less asked everyone whether they would leave their families for Christmas for the sake of the town's happiness. It was a hard choice to make. One that required plenty of-

"I'll do it, gramps," Natsu volunteered, standing up. "So will, Happy," he added.

Everyone looked at the dragon slayer and his feline companion, impressed with how easily they made their decision. Though to be fair, they didn't have anyone aside from each other to spend Christmas with.

Erza stood up as well. "I too will help," she said.

That was a little more predictable. The S-class wizard would do anything for the Master.

"Ahh, screw it," Gray said, standing up. Now shirtless might I add. "It's not like I want to lose to the flame brain over there."

Competition, completely reasonable reason to _not_ spend time with family.

Lucy stood up timidly. "I'll help as well."

Keeping her mind off of her family. _Very_ understandable.

As many more Fairy Tail wizards continued to volunteer themselves, I found it harder and harder to come up with reasons for why they would give up time spent with their family for a festive musical.

And then it hit me. It made so much sense that it made feel like an idiot. It was as simple as being the right thing to do and doing it. It made me realize what a guild was really all about. It wasn't about the fame, nor the wealth. Rather it was about the smiles that the people you help return when you smile their way.

When I came out of my thoughts, something unnerved me. And that something being the dozens of eyes on me. I wondered what the reason was for it. Then I realized… I was the only one not standing.

"And Nathaniel," I looked up at Makarov, who still stood on the table. "What about you?"

I stared back and crossed my arms. The atmosphere was tense. "I have one condition," I said, much to the Master's amusement.

He quirked a brow. "And what would that be?" he asked.

I paused, furthering the anticipation. "I get to finish my goddamn story without any interruptions," I said, completely serious.

Not expecting that answer, most people blinked. But slowly, everyone soon found themselves laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, mildly annoyed. "I was being serious."

This just doubled everyone's laughter.

"Stop laughing, damn it," I said, the ghost of a smile gracing my features. "I seriously just want to finish reading my story without any interruptions."

Everyone pointedly ignored me at that point, choosing to laugh and cheer.

"You know what. Screw it, I'm not doing this Winter Musical thing anymore," I said half-heartedly, smiling as I couldn't hold it in any longer. "You all have fun doing it yourselves. I refuse to work with assholes like-"

"Just stop whining and read the goddamn story, Nate!" Natsu shouted with a grin.

I smiled and picked up the pages.

* * *

 **Six Hours Before the Musical**

"So you want me to write the script?" I asked.

Makarov nodded. "The mayor and I thought that it would be refreshing if we used the holiday stories of another country," he explained. "And you're the only member asides from Gray who's from outside of Fiore."

It made sense. Given the situation, we were left in. Compensation for the lack of professional performers was a must if they wanted to save some face. "Alright," I hummed. "I've got a few ideas that we could play around with."

"Great. That settles it then," Makarov said, as he walked off towards a group of Fairy Tail members having trouble setting up the stage. "You'll be in charge of the production."

"Okay," I said without thinking, as I pondered the many different festive musicals from my world that we could adapt and use for our own production. It took me a second to digest what our Master had said. "Wait, what? Hold on, Master," I ran to catch up with him. "You want me to direct this?"

Makarov nodded again. "Yes," he replied. "And as the only one with any knowledge of new holiday stories that are from outside of Fiore. Who else would lead this musical?"

He made a good point. And one that left little room to argue. Didn't mean I wouldn't still try. "But what about Gray?" I asked desperately. "You said yourself that he's also not from Fiore and he's more than capable of such a task," I pointed at my friend.

We both looked over to the ice wizard to find him in the middle of a rather _passionate_ discussion with Natsu with many, err… love taps. Needless to say, it didn't help further my point whatsoever.

I felt an arm on my leg and looked down at my guild master. "Have faith in yourself, my child," he said encouragingly. "I trust in your capabilities to manage this production."

I smiled. His presence calming my jarred nerves. "If you think I can do it," I said, donning a confident smile. "I'll try my best."

Makarov nodded. "Good because I have to go deal with-"

 _CRASH! SPLASH! THUNK!_

We both winced at the noises we heard and turned to another group of Fairy Tail wizards which included Cana, Elfman, and Loke. They'd dropped a bunch of wooden planks, paint, and weights all over the town square.

"With the messes, you all make," Makarov sighed.

I couldn't help but feel bad for the old man. It was a good thing I was doing this for him. If not to just make his life easier.

I excused myself from Makarov's side to make the scripts.

* * *

 **Five Hours Before the Musical**

"-will be played by Lucy," I said, putting away the list I'd created. "Now, we only have a few hours to rehearse this, so we've got to be as efficient as possible. But before we get started, are there any questions?" I finished.

Natsu raised his arm and I sighed, knowing that whatever he asked wouldn't be worth the time wasted on it. "Yes, Natsu," I said.

"Why am I playing the dragon?" he asked, holding his script.

I paused to stare at him before skimming the crowd once more. "Any other questions?"

Ignoring the pout Natsu sported, another raised his arm. I sighed, knowing this would be equally as stupid of a question. "Yes, Gray," I droned.

"Why does Natsu get to be the main character?" he asked.

I groaned. "Does it really matter?" I asked.

He nodded adamantly. "I refuse to acknowledge this flame brain as the protagonist of the story," he said, pointing at the still pouting Natsu.

I didn't know whether Natsu knew that Gray insulted him or rather if his gestures were what gave away the insult, but suffice to say those two quickly went for each other's throats… figuratively speaking.

"You want to start something?" Natsu asked, getting in Gray's face.

Gray snarled. "I just don't want the production to be shit because you're the lead," he spat angrily, butting heads with his rival.

I was about to tell them to both shut up when a more effective means made her presence known. They both stood stock still as the weight of an arm weighed down on their shoulders. "You two wouldn't be happening to cause Nate here any trouble, would you?" Erza asked, smiling all the while. I shrunk back a bit when she did so. Yeah, she still scared me… don't think I could ever get over it.

Gray chuckled nervously. "N-No," he stuttered. "We were just practicing our… our lines! Yeah, our lines! Right, Natsu?"

"Ayy!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

I sighed once more. Already I was done with being the director of the production. All it seemed to bring me was a headache after a headache. "Do we have a _nymore_ ," I stressed the last word for everyone else to hear. "Questions here?" I asked.

At first, no one raised their arms, not sure if their question was what was considered stupid or not. Finally, someone caved.

"Yes, Levy?" I asked, acknowledging the petite bluenette.

"If it's not too much to ask, what is the name of the production?" she asked.

I smiled. Finally, a question that wasn't stupid nor… well, stupid. "Oh, Levy, Levy, Levy," I tutted, smiling gloriously. "This isn't just _any_ production that we're going to be performing. No, no, no. This is _the_ production."

Levy frowned. "You mean Warrod Sequen's Beauty of Nature?"

"Absolutely not," I said cheerfully, remembering the old tree geezer. He was far too eccentric if you asked me. "We shall be performing none other than one of my country's most prominent festive musicals to ever be known…"

I paused. "Dr. Seuss's How the Dragon Stole Christmas."

* * *

 **Four Hours and a Half Before the Musical**

"Inside a snowflake like the one on your sleeve. There happened a story you must see to believe," the narrator told. "Way up in the mountains, in the high range of Mt. Hakobe lay the small town of Magnolia; the home of the Mags."

Many of the Fairy Tail wizards walked onto the stage, all cheery and with glee, and began to decorate a large conifer tree with orbs, lights, snowflakes, and a large golden star right at its peak.

"Ask any Mag, and they'll have this to say: 'There is no place like Magnolia around Christmas Day.'" the narrator continued. "Every window was flocked, every lamppost was dressed, and the Magnolia band marched in their Christmasy best."

A band of Fairy Tail wizards waltzed up, circling the tree with their proud music. Jet, or Sarusuke, with his baton. Droy on the trumpet. Max Alors and a trombone. Nab Lasaro on drums. And Vijeeter Ecor with his clarinet. All smiling as they marched around the tree with everyone else following about.

"Arbor Day was fine, and Easter was pleasant, and every Fantasia day, they paraded about. But every Mag knew from their ten toes to their nose they loved Christmas the most, without a single Mag doubt-"

"Hold on, hold on," I shouted, stopping the rehearsal from continuing. "What are you doing, Levy?" I asked incredulously.

Levy looked up from her script, having been narrating as I requested. "What's wrong, Nate?" she asked, confused at why I'd stopped her.

"Did you change the script?" I asked

She looked down in embarrassment. "I might have changed it a bit," she admitted.

I turned to gramps. "Do you want to weigh in?"

Makarov sighed. "Levy my dear, this isn't supposed to be about Magnolia or even Fiore. This is supposed to be about Nathaniel's country. Do you understand?"

Levy blushed. "Yes, sorry Master," she said, turning to me afterwards. "And sorry, Nate. I won't let it happen again."

I frowned. "What are you sorry for?" I asked with a smirk. "I never said that your changes were a bad thing. Far from it actually. I thought your changes added a little hint of home to it that the audience would really connect with."

Levy looked even more confused than before. "But Master Makarov?" she insinuated.

My smirk grew. "Oh him, I just wanted him to tell you what a great job you were doing," I then leaned in towards her. "I don't think he got the memo."

Master Makarov sighed. "Nathaniel, can we just get on with it. We're running out of daylight and time here," he admitted.

"Let's take it from the top!" I shouted.

* * *

 **Three Hours and Thirty Minutes Before the Musical**

Sarah opened the door and walked inside the back room of the post office, searching for a place to drop off the mail her father had given her.

Something caught her eye and she picked up a mask of a Who from the ground. She then looked around for its owner but began to walk away soon after.

"Achoo," someone sneezed.

Gesundheit," another added sarcastically.

Sarah frowned and looked up to see both Natsu and Happy hiding up above. They both screamed and the dragon slayer and his feline friend fell from the ceiling.

"Y-You're t-the-" Sarah stuttered.

Natsu grinned maliciously. "The Dragon!" he roared. He grabbed ahold of Sarah.

His hand went lower than he meant to, and in the next instant, Erza was on the stage. She raised her knee and Natsu crumpled to the floor holding his groin. He cried in pain and rolled around, hoping to rid himself of the pain if he kept moving.

"And stay down you pervert," Erza spat, holding Sarah close to her.

"That wasn't part of the script," Natsu groaned, falling still as he slowly blacked out from the pain going through his genitals.

"I mean neither was grabbing her, Natsu," I said with a sigh. I then turned to Gray who was silently giggling to himself. "Wake him up will you," I pointed at the unconscious Natsu.

"With pleasure," Gray said delightfully.

"All right, let's run it again!" I shouted over Natsu's cries of fear.

* * *

 **Two Hours and Fifty Seven Minutes Before the Musical**

"Has everyone given their gift?" Laki asked, looking at the children she taught.

"I haven't someone," someone said timidly.

All the kids looked towards the coat rack at the back of the classroom as Romeo pushed aside some jackets to get through. He was wearing a paper bag over his head and holding the most god-awful gift in the world.

He held up his present for inspection. "Merry Christmas, Martha May," he added.

All the kids began to laugh and Laki frowned. "Why do you have a bag on your head, Dragon?" she asked in concern.

"Probably because he's embarrassed by that hideodorous gift," one of the kids shouted, making them all start laughing together once more.

Laki took a few steps closer to Romeo. "Mr. Dragon, please take the bag off."

Romeo pointed at himself.

"Yes, you," Laki said, nodding her head. "Take it off."

Romeo raised his textbook in front of him and took off the paper bag.

"Put the book down," his teacher added.

He lowered the book to reveal his foot in front of his face.

"And your foot," Laki continued.

Hesitant at first, Romeo didn't move. But slowly, he lowered his foot to reveal his face with many cuts from the failed attempts to remove his scales.

"Look at that hack job!" one of the kids pointed out. The rest started to laugh.

Laki, on the other hand, pulled Romeo to her chest. "Oh, you poor boy. Why must you all laugh?" she asked, holding him against herself. "Don't worry my dear, I won't let these other children bully you anymore. Believe in me."

"Stop it, Laki!" Romeo shouted, trying to push the purple-haired girl away. "You're suffocating me! This isn't part of the script!"

"Cut!" I shouted sadly, shaking my head. "Just cut!"

* * *

 **Two Hours and Ten Minutes Before the Musical**

"And now the nominations for that Who among us who best typifies the qualities of Whodom and Whodery… the Whoville holiday cheer-meister!" Macao cried joyously, holding up a jar for names on a slip. "Now do I hear any nominations?"

"I nominate Mr. Dragon!" Sarah cried.

"Objection!" Jet cried, running onto the stage. Droy followed behind him.

"Cut!" I shouted, walking up onto the stage to confront those two idiots. "What do you mean objection? This is how the scene goes."

"But you are clearly lying to the whole population of Magnolia if you say that Mr. Dragon deserves to be the Whoville holiday cheer-meister," Jet countered.

"But that doesn't…" I paused before continuing. "He's never actually confirmed to be the Whoville holiday cheer-meister. He's just nominated, okay?"

Jet glared at me. "Fine, but you have to put Levy's name in there," he compromised.

"Huh," Levy blushed profusely.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I then grabbed the jar from Macao and pushed it towards Jet. "Alright, fine," I agreed, waiting for him to write out his nomination.

"Does that mean I can nominate Enno?" one of the many wizards in the crowd asked.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet Enno!" one of her many male fans screamed.

"Isn't that your ex?" I asked Macao discreetly.

He nodded his head. "One of the many reasons for the divorce. Crazy fanboys."

"I'm gonna have to add the Master into that draw," Erza added.

"Of course you would," I muttered.

Erza glared at me. "What was that, Nate?" she asked, taking a step closer.

I clamped my mouth shut and moved away.

"Honestly, I think Lucy deserves it," Gray added from beside me.

I was definitely surprised by that one. "Really? You're going to nominate Lucy?" I asked.

"Uh huh," Lucy added. "What's up with that, Gray?"

The ice wizard smirked. "For the shit, you have to deal with the flame brain over there, I'd say you're pretty well adjusted," he explained.

I wanted to argue that point. I really did… I just couldn't find any arguments.

"Are we still nominating people?" Warren asked, holding his own slip with a name on it.

"We never were nominating people in the first place!" I cried aloud, giving the jar back to Macao. "It was just an act; a scene. "

"So no more nominations?" Nab continued.

I groaned. "Let's just… let's just go to the next scene."

* * *

 **An Hour and a Half Before the Musical**

"Martha May will be there," Sarah said happily.

"Oh, she will? And she'll see me. A winner." Natsu mused, a small smile growing on his face. "She'll be on me like fleegle flies on a flat-faced floogle horse."

His demeanour changed drastically and he snarled. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, Martha, baby!" he shouted, pointing to nowhere in particular. Sarah followed it regardless. "But the G train has left the station."

Not really understanding what Natsu had said, Sarah smiled. "So will you come?"

"Oh, alright," Natsu agreed. Sarah giggled.

"I don't know if it's that adorable twinkle in your eye or that nonconformist streak that reminds me of a younger, less hairy me," Natsu doted sarcastically. "But you've convinced me. Who knows? This Whobilation could change my entire outlook on life!"

"Really?" Sarah asked ecstatically.

Natsu's grin disappeared. "No," he pulled a lever.

…

Nothing happened.

"Wasn't she supposed to fall?" Gray whispered to me.

I nodded. "Yeah, she was."

Natsu looked over at us. "Should we reset?" he asked.

"Let's just start from-"

 _SHWOOF!_

Sarah's cries pierced our ears as she suddenly fell through the stage and into the snow below with a satisfying whump.

I stifled a chuckle. "Never mind. We'll reset," I said, starting to giggle.

* * *

 **An Hour Before the Musical**

"And now I've got a little something for the love of my life," Macao said, pulling out a small Christmas present.

He kneeled in front of Lucy. "Martha May, please become Mrs. Augustus May-Who."

Natsu and everyone else backed away in surprise as they stared at the large diamond ring that Macao was offering to Lucy.

"Augustus-" the Celestial wizard started.

"If you agree to be my wife, along with a lifetime supply of happiness. You'll receive this," he said, pointing towards something in the audience. "It's a new car!"

The crowd of wizard parted to reveal a beautiful red convertible wrapped with two large white bows on the front and back of the car.

"What do you say, Martha?" Macao asked, placing a hand on Lucy's back. "You have twenty seconds on the clock."

"Of course, I'll marry you," Lucy replied happily, throwing herself onto Macao.

"What?" I asked in surprise.

"That is a real diamond though, right?" the Celestial wizard asked, pulling away from Macao who was playing the mayor of Whoville. "Because rents due in a few days and I don't have nearly enough to pay it."

"And that car, that's gotta be worth at least fifty thousand Jewel," Lucy added.

"Lucy, you're going off script," I hissed.

"But I really need that rent money," she whined.

"I don't care. Go do a job after Christmas," I said strictly. "Right now, we've got a musical to rehearse, so get it together woman."

"We'll have to restart this scene!" I shouted to the rest of the crew.

Natsu groaned as he wiped away the pudding, fruitcake, and fudge stains from around his mouth. "I hate this scene," he wept.

* * *

 **Twenty Minutes Before the Musical**

Natsu crept out of the fireplace of Sarah's family's home. He tried to move a stocking and tore them all down. "Curse this wretched holiday," he spat.

He went to the Christmas tree and lifted the presents. He sent them up the chimney and away from the peasants. He then ate the food, all of it at that. Leaving nothing more than a crumb which would not be eaten. Not even by a rat.

When he'd done all that, he went to the tree and picked it up, ready to leave. Unfortunately for him, a girl awoke from the commotion he'd caused. "Are you Santa Claus?" Sarah asked excitedly. "Nate's told me all about you."

She ran up to the tree to try and get a better look at Natsu disguised as Santa Claus.

"I can't believe it!" she cried. "I knew you were real," she then turned to Romeo who stood off of the stage. "I told you Santa was real."

I frowned. "This is gonna break her heart when she finds out the truth, isn't it?" I said to no one in particular.

"Give it a few years," Gray admitted.

I sighed. "Cut," I shouted. I then cried to my little sister. "And Sarah, that's not actually Santa. That's just Natsu dressed up as him for this scene."

"Then the Dragon heard a sound over the snow," Levy narrated. "But the sound wasn't sad. Why it sounded merry? No, it was merry. Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small were singing without any presents at all."

"He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming. It came. Somehow or other, it came just the same!" Levy continued. "And the Dragon? And the Dragon with his Dragon feet ice-cold in the snow stood puzzling and puzzling. How could it be so?"

Natsu frowned as he watched from his mountain. He hadn't the slightest clue to how the Who's were celebrating. "No ribbons, no tags, no packages, boxes, or bags," he listed.

"And he puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Dragon thought of something he hadn't before," Levy explained. "Maybe Christmas he thought doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more."

Natsu clutched at his chest as he fell backwards. "Help me!" he outstretched a hand towards Happy. "I'm feeling."

"And what happened then," Levy added. "Well, in Whoville they say that the Dragon's small heart grew three sizes that day."

 _GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE!_

Levy paused in her lines to look up at Natsu, who grinned at us sheepishly. "I'm feeling hungry?" he asked hesitantly.

I sighed. "Cut!" I shouted disappointedly.

* * *

 **Five Minutes Before the Musical**

It was time. Six hours had gone by and my stomach just wouldn't let me take a rest. I lifted the curtain and peeked out. I let go of it just as quickly. There had to be at least a few thousand people out there. All waiting for the musical to begin.

"How many people are out there, Nate?" Lucy asked, having put on her costume. She was wearing a long flowing red and green dress.

"You know…" I started slowly.

"A lot?" Lucy guessed.

"Define a lot?" I asked, wincing at how bad that sounded.

"Oh god," Nab cried, as he clutched his head. He was wearing a green marching band uniform. "I can't do this. I have really bad stage fright. What was I thinking?"

I patted Nab on the back. "Hey, big guy. It's gonna be okay," I said, trying to soothe him. It seemed to be working. "You practiced for this."

"For six hours at most," he lashed out. "People have months to prepare for this shit."

"You're gonna do fine. I believe in you, Nab," I reassured. He seemed to be calming down the more I spoke. "There's only a few thousand people out there tops. Nothing to panic over," I admitted.

He started to hyperventilate. Maybe I was just making it worse.

I stepped away from Nab and let Lucy deal with the oversized crybaby. Gray walked up beside me. "I hope we're ready for this," he feared.

"We're gonna have to be," I said nervously, patting him on the shoulder. "And even if we're not, the show must go on."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Can you handle things from here on?" I asked.

Gray nodded. "Of course, Nate," he said. "Go find the Master."

I patted him on the shoulder gratefully and quickly made my way down the side of the stage and into the crowd of people, searching for Makarov.

He wasn't too hard to find and I saw the empty seat that he held for me right beside him. I took it. "Thanks for the seat," I said gratefully.

"Don't mention it, my child," he said. It went quiet between the two of us. "How do you think the performance will go?" he finally asked.

"Horribly," I replied within milliseconds of being asked. "Let's just hope it goes less horribly than I'm thinking it will."

* * *

 **Five Seconds After the Musical**

"- _Where are you, Christmas?_ " all Fairy Tail wizards sang up on stage. " _I think I've found you_! _This time I'll make you stay! All will be singing! Bells will be ringing!_ _Now and forever! Christmas day!"_

And that was the end. All the performing Fairy Tail wizards quieted as they awaited the applause for the performance. And boy did they applaud. People stood up and clapped. And clapped. And clapped. It was deafening.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked over at Makarov, who'd sat in the crowd with me for the performance. "Nathaniel, you might have just saved Christmas for all of us," he said, looking around at the cheering citizens of Magnolia. "Well done."

I smiled back. "Thanks for believing in me, Master."

"It was hardly anything I did that helped you through this," he said wisely. "Rather it was the fact that you yourself believed in yourself."

I didn't quite understand the Master's words but I got the message being conveyed through it. "Merry Christmas, Makarov," I said.

"Merry Christmas, Nathaniel," he repeated back to me. "And I think your friends want you to come up on stage," he added with a small generous smile.

I looked up to the stage and saw Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, and everyone else gesturing for me to come up. All sporting large smiles and festive apparel.

I smiled brightly. Walking down the aisle and up the steps to the stage. Lucy gestured for me to take the middle and I followed her lead. I looked out towards the thousands of people who'd come to see the Winter Musical. "I just have one thing to say to all of you that came out to see this," I said to the citizens of Magnolia.

I took a deep breath in and out. "Merry Christmas to all!" I shouted, reciting my favourite line from St. Nick. "And to all a good night!"

Every member of Fairy Tail took a bow on stage.

* * *

I'm sorry if the characters seem OOC. That's because they kind of are trying to imitate other characters from a completely different musical. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this little Christmas present and you have a _real_ chapter to look forward to in the coming days. Honestly, that'll be like the real Christmas present. I'll see you guys in the next one though!


	10. Chapter 9 - Loke Arc

**Author Notes:**

Alright, I know what you're all thinking. I am a terrible person. And you know what. Yes, yes I am a terrible person. I completely thought I'd have enough time to finish this over the winter break, but as it turned out I really didn't. I can't express how sorry I am for how late this chapter is coming out and I hope you can forgive me. But as I said in my profile, I can't be sure how often I will post.

Enough of me though, let's just get back to the story. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **An Adventure to Call My Own**

 **Chapter 9 - Loke Arc**

"I made you promise one thing! And you couldn't even keep it?"

"But it wasn't my fault, it-"

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses!"

I raised my arms to guard myself as a variety of objects were thrown my way. "I'm sorry, okay. Stop throwing things at me."

"Now, now, Porlyusica," Makarov calmed the seething woman. "I'm sure Nate here has learned his lesson well. Isn't that right, Nathaniel?"

I nodded my head fervently, not wishing to anger Porlyusica anymore.

She glared at me for a bit longer before walking away to tend to the other wounded, not even dignifying me with an answer.

I sighed and pouted. "But I really didn't even mean to get into that much trouble…"

I felt an arm rest on my shoulder and I looked beside me at Makarov who was standing on the right side of my bed. "Now, now, child," he said soothingly. "I'm sure you didn't mean to fight nearly as much as you did."

I grumbled. "No kidding," I sulked, looking down at my bandaged form.

"But there is a couple good things that came out of it," the Master continued, making me wonder what they were. He seemed to notice my curiosity. "For one, you've finally unlocked your magic potential," he pointed out.

I supposed that was true and I was excited to see what I could do. "And the other?" I asked, seeing Makarov wanting to say one more thing.

"You kept your friends and family alive and well," Makarov said with pride. "And in the end, that's what matters most. Perhaps your unnecessarily reckless actions are what helped keep them alive," he smiled warmly.

I returned it. He just had such a calming aura, it was hard to stay gloomy.

"Anyways, I'll let you rest for now," Makarov remarked, hopping off the bed that I was resting in. "I'm sure Porlyusica wouldn't want me bothering one of her patients any more than I have already."

I nodded at his reasoning. It made sense. I wouldn't want Porlyusica breathing down my neck either… she was scary as it was.

With my guild master having left, I was alone with my thoughts. Thoughts that left a bad taste in my mouth. Mainly the hundreds of people that could have died because of my horrible choices. I couldn't blame Loke.

If only I hadn't let Natsu protect Lucy and instead destroy the Jupiter Cannon. It was just pure luck that my magic unlocked the moment it had, otherwise… otherwise, everyone could have died. A-And it would have been all my-

 _THWACK!_

I reeled back as I felt something hit me in the head. I looked down at the sheets and picked up the object thrown at me. It was a small transparent cube that fit nicely in the palm of my hand. At the center sat an orb, which if I had to guess was a lacrima of sorts, that pulsed turquoise sporadically. It was interesting…

I then looked around the room to find who'd thrown the strange object at me. There was only Porlyusica and myself left. Was she the one who'd thrown it at me?

"You looked distressed," the pinkette replied casually. "Figured you'd appreciate it."

I fell back onto the pillows behind me and groaned. "Thank you, I do appreciate that," I said gratefully. I outstretched my arm with the strange object in it towards her. "Here's your… whatever it is."

Porlyusica looked at me and quirked a brow. "I'm surprised you don't know what that object in your hand is," she said curiously. "Considering Edolas is nothing more than a legend, shouldn't this be child's play for you?"

I froze which didn't go unnoticed by Porlyusica. "I won't ask how you know that I'm from Edolas. Rather, I'm assuming that if I did, it'll just leave me with far fewer answers and far more questions," she said. "But I do have one question for you," she narrowed her eyes. "Are you yourself from Edolas?"

I cursed myself for my need to be a smartass. I really needed to learn when it was time to just shut up and stop talking… but it was just so satisfying to see the shocked faces of others when I said things I shouldn't know. I sighed deeply. The hard choices I had to make sometimes… they were heartbreaking.

I brought myself to look Porlyusica in her piercing reds. Might as well be honest. "No, I'm not," I said seriously.

Porlyusica closed her eyes and nodded. To her own merit, she didn't question me any further and simply went to work with a few flasks of liquid. "You can keep the Judgement Field if you'd like," she said out of nowhere.

"The what?" I asked.

"The object in your hand," she replied, raising a vial for inspection.

I looked down at the transparent cube she'd thrown at me, then back at her. "That's it?" I asked, confused. "Is that all you really wanted to know?

"It's not my place to ask things that I needn't know," she replied, without batting an eye in my direction. "Nor is it my place to tell others secrets lest they wish to tell them themselves."

I could hear the hidden implication. She was rather… passive aggressive to put it in terms. "Well, thanks I guess," I said appreciatively.

"Don't thank me yet," she replied. "You might come to regret _my_ choice."

* * *

The sun was setting by the time I finally made my way back to Magnolia. Porlyusica had finally relented to let me leave after I demonstrated my determination to escape when I dragged myself across the floor of her place.

I sighed, which I found myself doing a whole lot recently. I held up the strange object Porlyusica had given me into the setting sun for a clearer look. Judgement Field. That's what it was called. An A-Class Secret Treasure that had most likely once belonged to Yuri Dreyar. One of the founders of Fairy Tail itself.

It was as intriguing as it looked. It apparently had the ability to make anyone who was within its activated radius to speak the truth and only the truth. Though what use it would be to me, for now, remained a mystery.

I pocketed the Judgement Field and stalked off through Magnolia's empty streets, the cold wind of the night brushing across my face as I was deep in thought. Seven words were playing through my head on repeat. Over and over again.

' _You might come to regret my choice_.'

What did she mean by that? Could she be referring to the fact that it was bad of me to withhold information? I couldn't very well tell everyone that I knew how each of their lives would play out. Better yet, many subtle things had changed already.

… but I couldn't help but feel like I was missing something. Which was why I was still hung up on Porlyusica's words.

I stopped myself from diving even further into the depths of my mind when I came to a halt in front of the building that I was looking for.

Fairy Hill.

I pushed open the rustic metal gates at the roadside and made my way up the dirt path, manicured lawns and well-trimmed trees on either side. When I reached the door of the cozy building, I knocked on it and pushed it open.

The lobby was deserted unsurprisingly as I was sure most of the girls were in their rooms getting ready for bed, which made travelling through the dormitory much easier without judging eyes.

I reached a hand into my pocket and pulled out the note that was left on my bedside at Porlyusica's. It was from Bisca explaining that after I was sent to the old hag's place the first time, they'd brought Sarah to Fairy Hill to make sure nothing bad had happened to her. I was really grateful for their foresight while I was dead to the world.

I read over the note again. It said to go to her room, but to be honest, I had no idea where that was. All the doors had names labelled on them, but I just couldn't find Bisca's name on any of them. He'll, I'd even searched for Moulin.

"Nate? Is that you?"

I turned around at hearing my name further back down the hall. One of the doors on left was slightly ajar and a curtain of blue hair was poking out.

"Levy?" I asked, quite certain she was the only bluenette living at the dorms.

She nodded her head. "Are you looking for Bisca's room?" she asked, most likely aware of the fact that I was looking for Sarah.

"Yeah, I am," I replied. "Do you think you could show me the way?"

"Of course," she said, stepping out of her room. "Though I'm sure you could have found it if you used your nose," she added.

I crinkled mine. "So that's what that smell was," I muttered. "I really should've guessed."

The bluenette smiled. "You get used to it," she said.

I just took her word for it as she led us back down the corridor I'd come through. "Bisca lives by herself in a different wing of the building because of her animals," Levy explained. "which is probably why you couldn't find the place."

"Well, then thanks for the save," I said, flashing a grateful smile.

"Don't mention it," Levy said, returning it. "Besides you gave me advice on how to deal with Jet and Droy, it's the least I can do."

"Oh yeah," I replied, remembering the conversation. "How are things going on that front?"

Levy smiled. "Much better," she said happily. "They've sort of realized that I'm not searching for a relationship in either of them and have cooled it down a bit."

I nodded my head. "That's good," I said slowly. I was definitely hearing a 'but' here.

She winced. "But they blame you for my sudden change and plan to exact revenge for winning over my heart," she added with a sigh.

"What?" I asked, incredulously.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Levy apologized, lowering her head. "I sorta told them that you'd given me some advice to set some boundaries."

"Why would you do that?" I asked with a slight whine.

"They pressured me into telling them," she replied. "They kept on asking me what was with the sudden change and I panicked."

I sighed. It just wasn't worth the effort. Nothing was ever worth the effort.

As we continued down the hallway in silence, I reeled back suddenly at a pungent odour that shot through my nose. We'd reached Bisca's room. I was quite certain of that.

"It smells like…" I tried to find a suitable word.

"Faeces?" Levy suggested.

I shrugged. "I was going to go with a farm but feces works just as well," I conceded.

I knocked on the door. "Bisca, you there?" I asked, listening for a response. "I'm here for Sarah!" I added after hearing nothing.

A muffled reply rang through the door. "One second!"

I jolted back at the sudden bang against the door from the other side. "What the heck?"

Before I could move closer to the door again, it opened to reveal a really dishevelled green haired girl which I immediately identified as Bisca.

I frowned and peered into the room. I could only describe it as one word. Chaotic. The floor was littered with books, many trampled and ripped apart. The furniture decorating the walls trashed. And the animal enclosures Bisca kept… all unlocked.

Many of those freed animals were running amuck, frightened by a certain toddler giggling to herself as she waddled after them. I looked back at dishevelled Bisca who stared back, eyes hardened and furious. I shrunk back.

"Nate…" Bisca started, growling quietly.

"Parlay?" I asked meekly.

I felt a sharp sting on my left cheek. "Ow," I whined.

"I'm never going to have a child," Bisca muttered after she withdrew her arm.

I snorted. "I doubt it," I replied.

Bisca glared at me again and I stepped behind Levy for safety precautions. I really didn't want Bisca to injure me to the point in which I needed another visit to Porlyusica. God knows what she'd do to me if I was back at her place one more time.

Bisca sighed at my actions and called into the room. "Sarah, your brother's here."

At my mention, Sarah's head popped up and she looked between the three of us. Her eyes landed on me and she beamed. She then left the animals alone, much to their relief, and made her way over to me. It made me smile.

I picked her up when she reached me and spun her around. Glad that she was safe after that whole Phantom fiasco. "Hey, Sarah," I said with a goofy grin. "I told you I'd be fine."

Said little girl quickly frowned, her clutch on my shirt tightening. "You broke your promise," she remarked, eyes downcast.

I paused. Did she remember that? "But I'm fine, aren't I?" I rebutted, setting her back on the ground.

Sarah then looked up, her eyes locked in a fierce glare. Honestly, it was kind of frightening. "Bisca told me you were hurt badly," at that, I glared at the cowgirl. She wouldn't meet my eyes. "How is that fine?"

For a six-year-old, Sarah was making a whole lot of sense. Something that I would undeservingly take credit for if it weren't the direness of the situation.

I coughed into my fist to relieve some of the tension. Well… for me at least. "I promised that I wouldn't put myself in harm's way, correct?"

Sarah nodded, having remembered that conversation.

"But I also said that if it were family, I'd do anything for them," I added.

She repeated her previous action.

I smiled. "The guild is family, Sarah," I explained happily. "I'd do anything for them, just as they'd do anything for us. They're people that I want to protect, just as I'm sure that you'd want to protect Romeo and Wakaba's kid if it came down to it."

Sarah seemed engrossed in my words, digesting it all as Bisca and Levy smiled.

Before any more time could pass, I quickly scooped Sarah up into my arms, much to her protests, and waved goodbye to the two other females present. "Goodnight, Bisca. Thanks for taking care of Sarah. And goodnight, Levy. Thanks for showing me here."

"No problem, Nate," Levy replied.

"Don't ever make me do that again," Bisca whimpered.

I smiled as I walked off back down the corridors of Fairy Hill, ready to head home after a few very exhausting days away from there.

I felt Sarah nestle into my chest and a faint vibration as she mumbled something into it.

"What was that?" I asked.

She mumbled it again. This time moving her mouth away from my chest. "I'll forgive you," she repeated. "Just this time though, okay?"

I nodded with a hum and she nestled back into my chest, satisfied with my reply.

* * *

When we returned to our place, Sarah had fallen asleep in my arms. I'd become accustomed to it. Whenever we returned home late at night, she would fall asleep every single time without a doubt.

I climbed the staircase and carefully pulled out my keys, opening the door. I walked over to her bed and gently tucked her in.

After making sure that Sarah was comfortable, I walked the short way between the two beds and sat down on my own. I took a deep breath in and fell back.

I looked up at the ceiling for a moment and then towards the desk beside me. A flicker of light helped my eyes land on the Magic Contract that the Master had given me which I had pinned to the side of the wooden piece of furniture.

I gently tugged the Magic Contract from its place and held it up in the air. I winced at the number it read. Eighteen thousand three hundred and twenty-two Jewels.

It'd only been a mere two and a half weeks and we were already up to numbers this crazy? If I didn't have that supply of liquid Moon Drip, I was sure I'd be indebted to the Master for the rest of my life.

I sat up quickly and pulled out the chair to the desk, taking a seat in it with the Magic Contract held firmly between my two hands.

I was going to solve this puzzle that the Master had given me right here, right now.

I closed my eyes tightly and reopened them just as fast, realizing that I probably wanted to see the fruits of my labour rather than just see the results.

I focused my attention on the ever-growing number. _Eighteen thousand three hundred and twenty-three. Eighteen thousand three hundred and twenty-four. Eighteen thousand three hundred and twenty-five._

And I felt it. A warm heat emanating from within my chest.

It surprised me so much that the feeling disappeared just as quick, and I dropped the Magic Contract back onto the desk. A smile slowly grew on my face. "Levy, you freaking genius," I whispered.

I was about to pick up the Magic Contract once more when I realized that I had no idea how to actually manipulate my magical energy. Maybe it would be better to study and practice it a bit before I went for the magical item.

Thinking that was a great idea, I set aside the Magic Contract and tried to find that same warm heat from earlier. This time it was much easier. Almost like having done a maze that you already knew the way out.

The first thing I noticed was that my magic reserves while large weren't nearly the lake of energy that I felt when I had a chance to glimpse the Master's, nor was it nearly as suffocating or suppressing which I could only attribute to the fact that he was that much more powerful and extensive than my own magic reserves.

I started to fiddle around with my magic energy to see what I could do with it. As it turned out, it was way easier to use than I had anticipated it would be. All I really had to do was focus on where I wanted that warm fuzzy feeling to go and it would flow from my center right to wherever I willed it to go.

Seeing as I now had a basic idea of magic flow down, I picked up the Magic Contract once more and channelled the energy through my body and out through my fingertips. I watched as the number froze in place. For a mere few seconds, but a few seconds all the same. I was really doing it! I was really using magic!

I laughed out loud before clamping my mouth shut, remembering that Sarah was asleep.

I internalized my giggling and tried again, this time seeing for how long I could keep it the magic item stilled for.

Fifteen minutes. That's how long I lasted for. It was refreshing to know that I had some competency at the art. Then again, it was just a Magic Contract. Nothing nearly as grand as the Jupiter Cannon or the dark magic, Alive.

I continued to play with the Magic Contract, my magic never ceasing to amuse me. It was all I ever wanted.

I looked back down at the Magic Contract and frowned after a second of thought. Didn't the Master say that he wanted me to stop the number from rising all together? Not just for a limited amount of time?

I tried again and ended up with the same result. While my magic was working on the Magic Contract, it would remain static; but if I were to stop focusing my magic on said item, it would go back to steadily increasing. Interesting.

This went on for a while. Where I'd experiment and note down everything that I could about my abilities. Eventually, I raised my head for a breather and pulled out my only electronic possession from home to check the time. It read two thirty in the morning. Which meant… that I should probably go to bed.

I pinned the Magic Contract back onto the side of the desk and placed my notes on my abilities with the rest of my notes on the Fairy Tail universe.

I stretched my limbs from the few hours spent at the desk and layed down on my bed, letting the pain of the past few days wash over me and lull me into a restless sleep. I grinned despite the pain from the simple act.

I had magic. And now, I could use it… to some extent at least.

* * *

"Nate! You in there? If you are, answer me!"

"I told you he'd still be asleep, Natsu," another voice whined.

"No he isn't, Lucy," Natsu replied.

I groaned and covered my head with my pillow, kicking off my blanket and revealing myself in nothing more than my undergarments. It was too early for their shit and I was still feeling out of it due to not having dinner last night.

My stomach growled. I now realized how horrible of a choice that was.

I pulled the pillow further over my head. That still wouldn't change the fact that I wasn't going to get out of bed no matter what. Not until I got another ten to twenty to a hundred hours of well-deserved rest.

The pillow was wrestled out of my grasp. "Nate!"

"Ahh!" I shouted as pulled my blankets back over my mostly naked form.

I blinked open my eyes blearily to get the sleep out and saw Natsu and Happy standing at my bedside. Both wearing a victorious grin.

I looked towards my window, suspecting it was the culprit with what Lucy had to deal with. It was wide open.

I glared at Natsu and Happy. "You do know this is trespassing, right?"

My words seemed to just fly right over both of their heads as they made their way over to Sarah's bed, right across from my own, to wake her up.

I quickly jumped out of bed and hit both of them over the head, making them sit down to cradle the goose eggs growing on their heads. "Don't you dare wake her up, you two," I growled, stretching my limbs as I went over to my drawer to throw on some clothes. "Otherwise, I won't be responsible for my actions."

The both of them immediately stepped away from Sarah's bed and sat on my own as I pulled out a plain baby blue cotton shirt and light brown cargo shorts.

Right as I pulled my shirt over my head, I heard a knock at my door which I could only assume was Lucy. I moved over and opened it.

"Good morning, Nate. I hope you're doing well."

I blinked in surprise a few times at who was at the door. "Hello, Liam," I said, seeing my landlord. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting you."

He chuckled in good nature. "That quite alright, Nate," he replied. "I'll be out of your hair in a minute. I'm just here to pick up this month's rent."

"Oh, right. Of course," I remembered. "I'll be back in a minute."

After my landlord gave his consent, I closed the door and walked back into the room, going towards the desk between the beds. I pulled out the drawer and withdrew the contents from within. A thick beige envelope labelled 'Rent.'

I walked back over to the door and opened it again. Liam was standing on the other side waiting patiently. "Thanks for waiting. Here it is," I said, handing him the envelope.

My landlord opened up the envelope and flipped through Jewel notes quickly. I wasn't sure if he was counting or not. Eventually, he tucked the money back into the envelope. "I have to say, Nate," he started pocketing the envelope. "I was skeptical of you at first but you've exceeded my expectations."

I smiled. "I tend to do that a lot," I said with a shrug.

He turned to leave. "Well, I'll be going then," he said, making his way back down the staircase. "Have a good day, you two."

As I made to close the door, I saw Lucy climbing up the staircase. I grinned. "What? You didn't take the window as Natsu did?" I asked teasingly.

"Oh screw off, Nate," Lucy said as I opened the door further for her to enter.

I closed the door behind us and went over to the kitchen. "Have you guys eaten yet?" I asked, the tiredness from before having gone away.

"No, not yet," Lucy admitted from the other room. "We were planning on hitting a breakfast diner before we went over to the guild hall to help rebuild."

"Alright, I'll make us breakfast then," I called back. "It'll be quicker than going to a diner."

Natsu poked his head in the doorway. "For real? Thanks, Nate."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it," I said, as I started to locate ingredients in the fridge. "Though I'm not sure we have any fish. Sorry, Happy."

The little feline popped his head in the doorway as well. "That's fine, I wasn't expecting you to have any," he replied. "I can eat other things too, you know. I just enjoy fish the most."

I hummed in understandment and tucked that tidbit of information away.

After deciding on what would be a good healthy breakfast, I grabbed bacon, bread, eggs, milk, onions. potatoes, sausage, among with basic herbs and spices.

I grabbed a pan and pot, making sure to fill the pot with water, before placing the both of them on the stove and cranked up the heat on only the pan. While I waited for that to heat up, I started to dice the potatoes into fine little chunks and placed them into the pot, cranking up the heat for that now that the potatoes were in.

After that, I mixed together some ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and sugar. Setting it aside briefly so I could mix together my wet ingredients. In another bowl, I mixed together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract before throwing in my dry ingredients bowl and mixing them all together to make an egg mixture.

I poured the mixture into a wide shallow container and sliced up the loaf of bread I had into thin slice before dipping them into the egg mixture.

I went back to my pan and scooped a couple large dollops of butter onto it, waiting for it to sizzle before placing the slices of soon-to-be french toast on it one at a time. Being careful to not keep it on for too long.

When those were done, I threw on some bacon strips and sausage for some protein and went back to my potatoes. I poured out the water from the pot and placed them out on a cookie sheet to cool.

Seeing that the bacon and sausage were ready, I placed them on a plate and brought them over to the table along with the french toast.

I took another dollop of butter and placed it in the pan before chopping up a few onions and garlic cloves and throwing them in the pan. I then threw in some rosemary and thyme before throwing in the potatoes as well.

Letting them sit for a moment to fry, I set out some utensils, plates, and glasses for the table and placed a carton of orange juice on there as well.

Going back to the potatoes, I threw them up in the air and let them sizzle on the other side. I then plated them and brought them over to the table before standing back to admire my handiwork.

To be honest, I was pretty proud of myself. Before coming to Fiore, all I ever knew how to make was eggs and bacon. Now though, I had another mouth to feed and a reason to actually cook properly for a change. It was refreshing.

A dopey smile crossed my face and I called the others over. "Guys, breakfast is ready!" I shouted, knowing that Sarah would be awake due to the fragrance, and if not, she needed to wake up anyways.

Natsu and Happy were the first into the room, running and flying in at speeds which made me worry if they'd break anything. Lucy and Sarah followed soon after at a much more appropriate pace. We all sat at the table.

"Wow, this looks great, Nate," Natsu said. His mouth already full of sausage.

"I think you mean tastes good," I corrected, shovelling some french toast and home fries into my mouth. It really was good.

When all the food was finished and out of the way, I leaned back in my chair and looked at the ceiling. It was peaceful and quiet, something which I didn't think was possible with Natsu and Happy around. And something even more surprising, it wasn't even those two that ruined my peace. Rather it was a magazine shoved into my face.

"I wanted to show you this, Nate," Lucy said excitedly. "I figured you'd want to see it."

I stared at it. "It's a Sorcerer Weekly Magazine."

"Yeah, I know that," she said impatiently. "Just look at it carefully."

I sighed but decided to humour her. The cover of the magazine was a mugshot of Jose Porla smiling deviously with a caption clarifying his discharge from the Ten Wizard Saints and disbandment of the Phantom Lord guild.

It wasn't until I read those little captions at the bottom directing the reader to flip to a specific page did I grab the magazine out of Lucy's grasp. I skimmed through the pages until I came to the one I wanted to see.

On the page that I was at, there stood a rather… handsome young man? Honestly, the guy looked too perfect. A clean shaven face with not a single sign of a blemish and framed with perfect charcoal black hair and deep jade green eyes.

He wasn't quite tall but was far from short. His body looked rather slim, but upon closer inspection, noticed the toned muscles built up from countless hours of training.

There was only one thing that stood out and that was a large burn scar on the man's collarbone that was induced by a kitchen accident as a child. Even then, the magazine had touched it up to look manageably appealing.

I frowned. "Man, they really know how to make me feel self-conscious about my body. I mean, I don't look nearly that good," I asked, looking between my own body and the one that the magazine depicted. I then noticed Lucy staring at me in disbelief. "What?"

"What? What do you mean what?" Lucy shrilled, making me lean away from her for the sake of my hearing. "You're in _the_ Sorcerer Weekly magazine and all you have to say is that you feel self-conscious about your body! Why aren't you more excited like I was when I saw that there was an article on both of us?"

I flipped to the next page and sure enough, there was a biography on Lucy. There was a lot of information on it too, such as the fact that she was a Celestial Spirit wizard, she had four of the twelve zodiac keys, and even stuff like her family heritage which had only been revealed to our guild during the battle with Phantom Lord.

I then looked at the pictures carefully and stifled a giggle. "By any chance did you actually take a look at the pictures before you got all excited?" I asked with a snicker.

She paused in her tirade and snatched the magazine from my hands this time. I wasn't sure how much time had passed or how silent it had gotten until Lucy had screamed out loud. And by loud, I meant really, really loud.

She threw down the magazine and I looked at it once more. They were pictures of her at her place. Whether it be in the bath, lying on her bed, or simply eating a meal. It was honestly really creepy. I then noticed the name Matsuki written under the author portion of the article and it made a whole lot more sense.

"How the hell do they even have photos like that?" she asked.

I shrugged and picked up the magazine, flipping back to my page. I was satisfied to see that they had next to no information me. With the only knowledge being that I was from outside of Fiore and that I had nullification magic of sorts.

A chair squeaked as Natsu stood up abruptly, all of our eyes on him now. "We should get going to the guild hall now," he said, walking to the door. "We've got to rebuild."

I nodded my head and handed Lucy back the magazine. She didn't take it and left it on the table.

"Yeah, give me a sec," I said, stacking the dishes. "I've got to wash these."

Lucy frowned. "I'll help with that if you want?"

"That'd me much appreciated," I added, bringing the dishes to the sink. Lucy followed with the rest of them.

"Sarah," I called, turning on the tap. "Why don't you show Natsu and Happy your drawings. I'm sure they'd like to see themselves kicking ass."

The two buffoons seemed to agree with my idea, as not a moment later, they dragged Sarah out of the kitchen and towards the desk where her pictures were stored.

This left Lucy and I to do all the dirty work and with her help, we managed to finish it pretty quickly. Five minutes tops.

We put down our rags and walked away from the kitchenette. "Hey, Natsu, Happy, Sarah," I called out, poking my head from the doorway to the kitchen. "We're done with the dishes, so get ready. We've got a hall to rebuild."

As I said that, the three of them immediately came over and we left the apartment in a haste. But not before I remembered what I wanted to show the Master. I ran back inside and ripped the Magic Contract from where it sat and placed it in my pocket.

We made our way over to the guild in an amicable silence… well, as much silence as we could possibly get with Lucy constantly ranting to us on the unethicality of taking photos of someone while they're at their place.

And by the time we'd arrived at the guild hall, or what was left of it anyways, we just desperately wanted to get away from the Celestial wizard.

"Alright," I said, taking Sarah's hand and walking away. "I'm gonna go find Mira and see if she can look after Sarah for me while I work. I'll see you guys later."

"See you later, Nate," Natsu replied. The other two being preoccupied.

After parting with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, I searched the crowds of Fairy Tail wizards reconstructing for a certain white-haired woman. Instead, I found a tall, bulky white-haired man. Or if you'd like to be specific, he pushed me over.

"Oh sorry, Nate. Didn't see you there," Elfman said, giving me a hand to help me up. I took it and he pulled, helping me to my feet.

I looked up at him. He was carrying a large metal beam. "Hard at work, I see."

He nodded. "Yep, this guild hall isn't going to build itself," he replied, brimming with pride. "It needs a man's touch to get things moving."

"Right," I said slowly. I shook my head. "Do you know where I can find your sister?"

He pointed at a makeshift bar set up not too far away with tables set up around that structure. People were milling about there with drinks in their hands. "She's set up a resting area there for people on break," he replied.

I gave him a pat on the shoulder, already bounding away from the large man with Sarah in hand. "Thanks, big guy," I called back to him.

I didn't see if he waved back as I made my way over to the bar.

When I got close, I noticed the commotion in front of the place and the large crowd of Fairy Tail wizards growing. I then noticed Mira and was about to wave at her to get her attention when I saw how desperately she was attempting to mix drinks and get everyone there orders on time. It looked futile by one's self.

I then looked over at the others working so diligently on construction. They looked like they were doing fine on their own for now. Mira on the other hand, she needed help… like immediately. I could find the Master later and explain then.

I kneeled down in front of Sarah. "Hey, Sarah," I said, getting her attention. "Do you think that you could find Romeo or something and hang out with him today?" I asked, knowing she'd agree. So what if I was manipulative?

Sarah frowned. "Alright. Just don't go running off again," she said, glaring at me.

I nodded my head and chuckled. "I promise."

Satisfied with my reply, she gave me a quick hug and skipped off to find her, dare I say, future boyfriend or husband. I shook that thought from my head.

I hopped over the bar and poured a mug of beer from the barrel, sliding it across the length of the bar to Mira. She caught it and smiled, showing no surprise to the help that I was offering. "Just tell me what you need."

Mira nodded and went back to taking the wizards' orders, while I listened to her and followed her instructions. It also helped that I had some cooking experience now.

It felt like an eternity had gone by, by the time we'd finished with the worst of the crowd and by then, I was exhausted. "How do you do this?" I asked, taking deep gulps of air. "I mean like… every day without wanting to cry?"

Mira giggled as she started to wash some of the mugs that'd come back from use. "It's not too hard once you have a system," she admitted, smiling beautifully. "Plus I usually have a few extra hands to help out."

"And where are they today?" I asked, sounding rather pathetic.

"A few of them called in sick, while others were actually Fairy Tail wizards that got injured during the guild war with Phantom," she admitted.

"Stupid Phantom," I muttered under my breath, pouring myself a glass of cool water and downing it just as quick. It was really refreshing after that rush.

"Anyways, thanks for the help Nate. I would be in trouble if you didn't help out," Mira admitted.

I waved off her thanks. "It's fine, I wanted to help…" I trailed off. It wasn't because of anything Mira said or did, rather it was because of who was sitting at the end of the bar, playing with her food and looking all gloomy. It was Lucy.

"She's been there ever since she arrived here with you guys this morning."

I turned to Mira. "Really?" I asked.

The white-haired girl nodded her head. "Maybe you should talk to her," she suggested.

Knowing that what Mira was saying made sense, I poured two mugs of beer and walked over to where Lucy sat at the bar. "I'll be taking these as the compensation for my hard work," I said, knowing that Mira wouldn't have anything against it.

When I stood across from Lucy at the other end of the bar, I placed the mug next to her untouched meal she ordered. She looked up. "Hey, Nate," she said glumly.

I took a swig from the other mug I brought. "You still upset over the whole magazine thing from this morning?" I asked teasingly.

She shook her head and we lapsed into a dreadful silence. I hated these kinds of silences. Luckily, I didn't have to break it this time though. "I'm sorry about this morning, I just had a lot to think about and I guess I kind of vented on you, Happy, and Natsu," she apologized.

I frowned. That's not what I wanted to hear. "What do you have to be sorry about, Lucy. We're your friends, aren't we?" I replied. "Shit happens. I'm not going to hate you just because you annoyed me once.

Lucy sighed. "Yeah I know," she said with a smile. "And ever since I joined Fairy Tail, I'm glad I've been able to make friends with people like you, Natsu, Gray, and even Erza."

Okay… where was she going with this? "But do you ever feel as if one of your friends is hiding something?" she asked, taking a small sip of beer. "Something that could put their own health in danger? And you can't do anything to help them?"

"All the time," I admitted. Everyone at the guild was family. And frankly, everyone at the guild was harbouring one secret such as that. "But it's not my place to go ripping through their pasts. If they feel the urge to share, I'll sympathize. If they feel the urge to withhold, I'll take on their pain. Never though, should you force what shouldn't."

"But why?" she asked quietly. "That just isn't fair for either person."

I shrugged. "Nothing's ever fair," I said.

I felt quite guilty for my words… but none of what I just said was wrong. It was a harsh reality.

"By the way, what's with all these questions?" I asked. "It's not like you at all."

Lucy looked hesitant to say whatever was on her mind. Though it seemed in the end, she caved. "It's Loke," she admitted quietly.

Oh yeah. That's right. Loke was actually the Celestial Spirit, Leo. He couldn't return to the Celestial Spirit World because of an exile imposed on him by the Celestial Spirit King due to the death of Karen Lilica.

"He's been acting strangely recently," Lucy continued. "Normally, he wouldn't come within ten meters of me, but now he tries to talk to me whenever he gets the chance to."

I smiled and took another sip of my beer. "Maybe he's into you."

Lucy shook her head. Completely ignoring my teasing. "No, it's different," she explained. "He doesn't flirt. He just talks about whatever's on his mind. Whether it's the stars or the trees. It's like… like…"

"He doesn't have any more time for anything?" I suggested sadly.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "And it worries me."

We lapsed into a sombre silence. One which I didn't even dare break. It was really depressing thinking about the situation Loke was in. No one deserved that.

"I've been looking all over for Loke," a voice shrieked suddenly. Speak of the devil. Looks like we weren't the only ones thinking of him. "Where is he?"

Lucy and I turned towards the commotion. Four girls were harassing Mira on the whereabouts of their 'supposed' boyfriend. "What's going on?" Lucy asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Caught cheating?" I suggested. "I mean the man's not exactly known for how faithful he is. Hell, he flaunts his girls around."

Lucy shook her head. "I don't think that's it. They don't sound angry. More like desperate if anything," she said. "But maybe that's just me. I don't-"

"Lucy!" Mira shouted suddenly.

"Huh?" Lucy asked, looking towards the group of girls. They turned towards the blonde at Mira's words. Somehow they recognized Lucy right away. Maybe a woman's intuition?

I chuckled. "I think Mira just used you," I teased, chucking a bit. "If I were you, I'd start running. I don't think they look particularly 'desperate' anymore."

Lucy heeded my advice and ran away. "Why, Mira!" she shouted as she left with a bunch of bimbos chasing after her. It was quite amusing, if not a bit sadistic of me.

I turned to Mira who looked guilt ridden. "Better her than you, right Mira?" I said with a grin, giving her a thumbs up.

"But I didn't mean to… I panicked," she said.

"Right, and that's an excuse how?" I asked, chuckling quietly to myself. I slipped my hands into my pocket and my fingers caressed a smooth surface. I jumped back, remembering something that I had wanted to do. "I need to find the Master. I'll see you later, Mira."

While she was still flustered, I hopped over the bar and began my search for the Master. It turned out to not be much trouble as the Master was right in the middle of everything, giving out orders with a goofy smile across his face.

Though he quickly sobered up when he saw me walking towards him. "Ah, Nathaniel, you're here," he welcomed. "Where have you been?"

I pointed to the bar. "I was helping out Mira for the day," I explained. "I didn't want to aggravate my wounds and if Porlyusica heard about it. Well…"

Makarov nodded. "Fair enough," he admitted. "But why come see me at all?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the slip of magical paper that he'd given me weeks ago. "Master, you said that I was supposed to nullify the magic in this contract, right?" I asked rhetorically.

He held out his hand for the Magic Contract and I placed it in the palm of his hand. "And have you done so?" he asked, examining the slip of paper.

"Well, I have," I admitted. "It's just, I can never get it to stay dead. The magic that is."

He quirked a brow at my words. "Really? Could you demonstrate?"

I nodded and he handed me back the slip. I let it rest in the palm of my hand and poured my magical energy from my center into my fingertips and out into the Magical Contract. The results were almost instantaneous. The number froze as I continued to pour my fairly large magical reserve into it at a steady pace.

Eventually, though, my concentration grew thin and I felt faint. I stopped pumping magic through my body and watched as the number on the Magic Contract went back to steadily rising in Jewels. "So what do you make of it?" I asked curiously.

"I don't think I've ever seen this happen before if I'm being honest here," Master Makarov admitted. "Though I admit, I've never had to train someone in the arts of nullification magic. It's a rare enough magic as is."

"I see," I said thoughtfully. "Do you know anyone that might know anything?"

The Master seemed deep in thought before he started to rummage in his coat pockets. "I know it's in here somewhere," he said, finally triumphing and pulling out a paper of some sort. It was slightly crumpled and weathered.

"Thank you?" I said hesitantly, letting him plop the paper into my hand. It was plain white with a pink lotus painted onto one side of the paper.

"I don't think you understand the significance of that card," Makarov replied, crossing his arms in irritation. "It was a gift from the one who taught me my nullification magic. They should still be living to the north of Magnolia. Near a waterfall, I believe."

He couldn't be talking about that waterfall, could he? "How convenient," I muttered.

"What was that?" the Master asked.

I shook my head pensively. "It's nothing," I said quickly. "I'll head over there when I find Sarah. Hopefully, your Master can provide me with some answers. Though how old are they? I mean, no offence, but you're not quite… not old?"

Master Makarov just glared at me. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that for your own good," he said defensively. "Besides, they're not quite as old as I am."

I shrugged. Good enough for me. "I'll be going then, Master. Thanks for the help."

"Stay safe, child," he said.

I gave him a wave as I walked away.

* * *

"Is this the place?" I asked myself.

It was a shabby old wooden shack, festering with moss and rotting wood. The windows were opaque from countless rainfalls and the roof shingles had caved in at certain spots. The only thing that looked remotely new was the ivory flag emblazoned with the Fairy Tail emblem hung up right above the entrance.

I was starting to have my doubts on whether Makarov was lying about his master's age and that they were possibly already dead without his knowing.

I paused at the rushing water from behind the little shack. The whole place was on the cliffside overlooking a semicircle of waterfalls. The same falls which held Karen's tombstone at its center. A thin ledge leading out towards it.

I drew my attention back to the door and slowly walked up to it, knocking on the frail wood as lightly as I could. It pushed open slightly at the rap of my hand and I paused. "Something doesn't seem right," I muttered.

I fully pushed open the door and stepped inside, covering my nose quickly as the pungent stench of alcohol entered it. I looked around the room and took in my dark surroundings. It was small and dark. Not much moonlight was getting through the opaque windows. There wasn't much to look at save for a bed tucked into the corner of the room with heaps of blankets piled on top, a a clean drawer at the foot of the bed, a small kitchenette that looked like it hadn't been used in forever, a low wooden table with two cushions, and a door which I assumed was where the bathroom was held. It looked much better on the inside than the outside.

I stood there for a minute and was going to leave when my eyes were drawn to the shifting of the bedsheets on the bed and an arm poking out from beneath, holding a bottle of alcohol. "Hello?" I called out.

The figure beneath the blankets didn't show any signs of having heard me. I tried again. "Hey!" I shouted quietly.

Still no answer. Frankly, I was losing my patience. I walked over to the bed and yanked off the sheets. "Get your drunk ass out of bed old-" I stopped.

Lying in the bed was an older woman, roughly in her late twenties. She was flushed and smiling happily which I could only assume meant that she was piss ass drunk. Her long silky rose quartz hair draping over her body like a blanket.

My eyes trailed down her body and I immediately looked away, my cheeks going red as they heated up. The reason for that being that the woman was scantily clad in a loose white shirt wearing no bra and lacy black underwear. It helped highlight her curves which were… distracting. It was enough to make any guy's hormones go wild with desire.

"-man…" I finished meekly.

I dropped the sheets back down on the woman and backed up slowly, grasping for the door handle to leave the place. I didn't want any misunderstandings to come of this. She was the only one who could help me with my magic after all.

I was about to leave through the door when a knife embedded itself in the wooden door. I looked closely at the blade and found that it wasn't a knife at all but an exquisite folding fan. Turquoise in colour and lined with gold trimmings and beautiful lotus flower patterns.

I wondered where it came from for all of half a second before looking back at the figure in the bed. She was sitting up and staring right back at me. Her icy blues gazing into my jade greens. I froze in fear. Her glare alone was overwhelming.

A moment passed in which neither of us made a move. Slowly, she slipped out of her bed and walked to the drawer at the foot of her bed. I kept my eyes levelled and didn't dare look down. I was a man, after all, not some scum. What happened earlier was an accident and hardly counted.

"Are you just gonna stand there or are you going to explain to me why you barged into my house and shamelessly looked at my naked figure?" the woman asked.

I chanced a peek and sighed in relief when I saw that the woman was now clothed in a traditional Chinese hanfu. The dress was of the same colour as her fan and lined with a long light blue sash around the waist. It was rather simplistic, minimalistic perhaps. Maybe not the first in the room to be noticed but nowhere near the last.

Other than that, the only other noticeable apparel was the lilac bow tied into her hair, which I only noticed when she looked away for a brief moment.

"I honestly thought that you'd be older and, uh… a guy," I finished lamely.

She quirked a brow. She didn't seem upset over this whole ordeal. In fact, she looked rather amused. "Oh, and why would you assume that?"

I thought about how to answer that. "Makarov told me you were the one who trained him in the art of nullification. So I naturally assumed that you'd have to be as old if not older than him," I admitted confidently.

"And what about the 'guy' situation?" she asked curiously.

"Sorry, that was the alcohol that you were holding that made me assume that," I said, pointing at the empty bottle by her bedside. "Don't see many women who drink from the bottle," I admitted with a sheepish smile. It was true.

"I see your point," the woman pointed out. "But is it not normal for one to celebrate after a pleasant victory for their own guild?" she asked cryptically.

"Fairy Tail?" I asked undoubtedly.

She smiled slightly and raised the sleeve of her left arm, exposing her wrist. Right there, on the inside of her forearm, was the Fairy Tail emblem.

"That explains a lot actually," I mumbled quietly, making sense of the whole thing.

It was then that I realized how rude I had been. I offered out my hand. "I'm Nathaniel Valentine. Though you can just call me Nate."

The woman smiled and delicately placed her hand into my own. "Jiang Yue," she replied. "Though there's hardly a reason for you to introduce yourself. I've heard all about you from Makarov. Caring. Loyal. Noble. Courageous. And most of all selfless," she added, staring with intrigue. It made me shiver.

"But that's not all Makarov told me," Jiang Yue continued. "He also mentioned that he wanted you to see me on the matter of your magic."

"When- Nevermind," I said, remembering what was important. "Can you or not?"

Jiang Yue smiled. "And straight to the point I see," she said, pausing for a moment. "Yes, I can help you master your craft. But if you accept to be under my tutelage, I cannot say it won't be harsh. The lectures will be long and agonizing. And the exercises will be excruciating and to the extreme. After all this, are you still willing?"

I nodded quickly. Ecstatic for this opportunity. Just from her gaze alone, I could tell Jiang Yue was powerful and if she were to teach me magic, I was sure I'd be able to at least hold my own in the fights to come. I didn't want to be a hindrance any longer. I'd only been able to get by on my knowledge and luck so far. I wanted to get by with my own strength and not have to rely on cheap tricks and such.

"Alright, then let's begin with a proper analysis of your magic," Jiang Yue explained, gesturing for me to take a seat at the table.

I sat on one of the cushions and watched Jiang Yue walk back to the drawer, opening a different compartment this time. She pulled out what looked to be a clear lacrima and walked over to me with it in hand. She placed it on the table.

"Place your hand on the lacrima," she instructed.

I did as told and placed my hand on top of the lacrima, waiting for further instructions.

"Now before we begin, let me give you a little lesson," Jiang Yue started. "When someone first learns to use magic, they have a natural affinity to a type of magic. As you can see, Natsu has fire, Gray has ice, and Erza has space."

I nodded, following along with what she was saying. "And I'm assuming that this lacrima manifests a colour to see what element I have an affinity for?"

She nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm glad my disciple's at at least this level of perception," she said, continuing where she left off. "Yes, this lacrima is what you'd call an Affinity Lacrima. It manifests the colour of whichever element you have the most natural affinity for. Since your magic, if Makarov's analysis is correct, would be nullification; the Affinity Lacrima should remain clear as the magic you pour into it should suppress the magic within.

"Okay, so I should just pour my magic into the lacrima?" I asked for clarification.

Jiang Yue nodded. "Go ahead," she encouraged.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I focused on my center once more and searched for my magic reserves. Once I found it, I made a pathway from them to my hand that was placed on the lacrima for my magic to traverse.

"Mmm, that's interesting," Jiang Yue admitted.

"What is?" I asked curiously, still having not opened my eyes.

"Why don't you look for yourself," she added, seeming more intrigued with my results rather than the question I asked.

I slowly opened my eyes and stared curiously at the Affinity Lacrima. "So… which element is represented by colourless with a splash of silver?" I joked.

Because despite my joking, the Affinity Lacrima was indeed colourless with small amounts of silver orbiting the center of the entirety.

"That… I don't actually know," Jiang Yue admitted humbly. "It seems Makarov's analysis was wrong in any case and that you don't have a natural affinity for nullification magic."

I frowned. "Does that mean you can't help me?" I asked worriedly.

Jiang Yue quirked a brow. "Did I say anything of the sort?" she asked. I shook my head obediently. "Then there you have it. Since the Affinity Lacrima was mostly colourless, I'm sure that means that your magic isn't too different from my own. Which should mean that the conventional methods should still have an effect on you."

I sighed in relief. "I'm glad," I admitted, thinking that I'd have to find someone else.

Jiang Yue picked up the Affinity Orb and returned it to its place in her drawer before sitting back down at the table. "Anyways, that's all that I have for today. We'll begin your lessons once you and your friends return from the resort your friends and family at the guild plan on sending you on," she informed.

"How do you know-" I stopped myself. I didn't want a repeat of what happened with Porlyusica. It would just end in another person guessing at my secrets. It would just be wiser if I just shut my mouth and walked out the door—

I stood up abruptly. "I guess I'll be going then. I've got another matter to attend to," I said, bowing deeply to show my respect. "Thank you for the lesson, Master."

As I was walking away, Jiang Yue called out to me. "Before you go through, can I show you something?" she asked.

I turned back to her. I thought it over. "Sure," I agreed.

Having gotten my consent, she motioned me toward one of the dirty windows and we both stood there, staring at the grime covering it. "Excuse me for how dirty this place is," she apologized. "I don't get many guests."

With a wave of her hand, Jiang Yue quickly removed the grime from the window and I saw what she wanted to show me. Honestly, I was surprised she knew about this.

Below, on the thin ledge leading out to Karen's tombstone, stood Lucy and Loke. The latter lying on the ground with the former kneeling beside him. There was a bright light between them, which I could only attribute to the fact that Lucy was struggling to open Loke's gate. The bright glow from her magic was waning. Pulsing more faint with each time she sent a surge of magical energy into Loke.

"Do you know what's going on?" Jiang Yue asked.

I paused before shaking my head. It was better to play dumb and pretend to not know what was going on. "What is, Master?"

"She's attempting to force open that man's gateway to the Celestial Spirit World," Jiang Yue replied. "It's futile though. No one's ever done it-"

"You're wrong," I said resolutely, cutting Jiang Yue off. "Lucy would be capable of doing it," I insisted. "She has so much desire to protect her friends that I know that when it has to do with those she cares about, she can do anything. It's the same with everyone in Fairy Tail actually. We don't give up on each other."

There was silence between us. It was nerve-racking. "You said 'would,'" Jiang Yue finally said. "Does that mean she has the capabilities but something stops her before she can actually accomplish her goal?"

I mentally berated myself. I'd gone and done it again. I'd went and revealed hints of what was about to happen. I was such an idiot!

Unaware of what was going on through my head, Jiang Yue smiled. "But you aren't wrong, my disciple," she openly admitted. "There's indeed something that will stop Lucy before she can finish. And that's because-"

The ground trembled and I looked back outside. The stars in the sky were beginning to warp into a gate of sorts, drawing in the water from the falls like a black hole. A bright light shone from within, coming down from the heavens in a tremendous beam of light.

"-The king is here," Jiang Yue finished.

As she said that, the beam of light died out and an imposing figure was made known.

Ruby eyes bore down on both Lucy and Loke as the figure dwarfed both of them by at least thirty times their own heights. His sky blue skin brimming with pure magical energy it sent shivers down my spine even from how far I was.

His turquoise helm was lined with gold and adorned with two large ivory tusks that glistened in the moonlight. He wore full plate armour of which his chest plate and pauldrons were of the same colour as his helm, while his gauntlets and greaves were a baby blue. The plates around his waist and knees were gold. To finish his ensemble, he wore a deep blue cape that flowed without there being any wind.

Though the most distinguishable, and perhaps most laughable, were his nose hairs which reached all the way down to his stomach. It almost even made me laugh if it weren't for the overwhelming presence that such an entity brought forth.

"So…" I started, wanting to break myself away from such pressure. "You're clairvoyant?" I asked. Though it was more of a confirmation.

Jiang Yue nodded. "That's correct, I'm clairvoyant," she confirmed. "Things that are nearer to the present, I can see as clear as day. But the further they stray, the less of the entirety I can see."

"Explains a lot," I added.

Before we could continue on with our conversation, the Celestial Spirit King rumbled and our eyes were drawn back to his majestic presence. "Old friend," he said. Though even if it was just him speaking, we could hear him from even where we were. "Under our agreement with the humans, taking the life of a key holder is forbidden."

"Although it was not by direct involvement, you did commit this act, Leo the Lion," the Celestial Spirit King continued. "Therefore you are not allowed to return to the Celestial Spirit World."

There was a moment of silence in which I assumed the king listened to Lucy's opinion on Loke's matter. It was unjust no matter how anyone looked at it if they just knew of all the details that led up to Karen's death. Even though I seriously disliked the guy, he wasn't the only at fault in this situation. Karen was to blame as well.

"Old friend… Human girl…" the Celestial Spirit King said, drawing everyone's attention to him again. "That law is immutable. It cannot be changed no matter how much I care for my dear old friend over there."

What kind of logic was that? To condemn someone even if you know that it wasn't their fault. All because of a stupid rule that you can't. No, _won't_ change. For the love of the god that sent me here, this being was the Celestial Spirit King. He was the one who made and could change the rules if he felt like it!

After I finished having my internal rant, Jiang Yue spoke up. What she said piqued my interest. "Do you wish to hear what they're saying?" she asked knowingly.

I nodded my head fervently, still peeved. I could see where Lucy was coming from now.

Jiang Yue having my answer, raised an arm towards the conversation happening below and a soft green magic circle appeared in the palm of her hand.

"Three years!" Lucy's voice echoed from the magic circle. "Loke has suffered for three long years! He did it for Aries! One of his own! He had no choice in the matter!"

"Everyone has a choice, human girl," the Celestial Spirit King stated. "As much as it pains me to say it, my old friend deserves his punishment."

"Don't be stupid!" Lucy shouted. "If you really consider him an old friend, then you'd do everything you could to help him! If you really cared, you would help him right now! Listen for a change, you old mustache man!"

This drew the Celestial Spirit King's attention and Loke's. The latter for the disrespect that Lucy was showing to his own king's decision.

"This was an unfortunate accident! But Loke wasn't at fault here!" Lucy continued, protecting her friend with everything she had. "I won't accept anything but an innocent verdict! I… refuse to accept anything else! And if you refuse, I will tear my way into the Celestial Spirit World and force you to take Loke if I have to!"

As she said those words, her magical energy flared up from beneath her and I knew she was serious on her threat, err… promise.

A new voice came through the magic circle and I easily identified it as Loke. "That's enough, Lucy… I don't want anyone's forgiveness," he said. He sounded so heartbroken and lifeless that it made even my heart reach out. Maybe I was feeling less inclined to punch the poor guy now. "I just want to atone for my sins! I just want to cease to exist" he cried, sobbing out in pain at what he thought he did.

Even though we stood far away from the action, I knew what kind of expression Lucy was making right now. One of pure stubbornness. "You can't!" she shouted out, her magical energy reaching even greater heights than before.

"You disappearing won't bring back Karen. What would your death achieve?" she asked, glaring at the Celestial Spirit King. "It'll only cause more sadness! It isn't a crime! Caring for your own isn't a crime!"

Beside me, Jiang Yue raised a hand to cover her mouth in surprise. I smirked. It wouldn't be Lucy if she couldn't do this much for the guild that she cared about.

Standing beside Lucy were all of her Celestial Spirits. From Aquarius to Sagittarius. From Crux to Horologium. They all stood there beside Lucy. Beside someone that they considered their friend and comrade.

"If you cease to be, you'll only leave me, Aries, and everyone else here with even more sorrow than before," Lucy continued. "That… won't atone for anything, will it?"

There was a moment in which I felt like Lucy was invincible. She was showing so much power that it surprised even me. Nothing that Hiro drew could ever hope to capture this moment that I was witnessing right now.

As quickly as it came, it went. Lucy collapsed from the lack of magical energy and Loke scrambled over to make sure she was okay. She waved away his help and looked at him, trying to stand on her own. "All of my friends who showed themselves right now… they feel the same way as I do. So don't even think of leaving!"

Lucy stood back up and faced the Celestial Spirit King confidently. "If you're a spirit, then you can understand how Loke and Aries feel too, right?"

There was a moment of silence in which The Celestial Spirit King seemed to ponder Lucy's words. "If you went to such lengths to say this, then maybe the fault lies within the laws I created. Perhaps you are correct."

He shifted his attention to Loke. "Leo, you committed this crime for Aries' sake, one of your brethren," he recapped, shifting his focus back to Lucy. "And you, young lady, who tried to save Leo. For the sake of a friend, was it not?" he paused, before continuing. "Out of consideration for that beautiful bond, I hereby make an exception for this incident and grant you, Leo, return passage to the Celestial Spirit World."

Lucy grinned. "You're not so bad-"

"Huh?" I asked when the voices were cut off. "What happened?"

"I cut off the magic," Jiang Yue answered. "We both know how it's going to end, so there's no point in listening in any longer."

"I guess," I replied. "But I kind of wanted to hear the rest," I muttered beneath my breath.

Another silence passed between us when I wondered if it was best that I excused myself, but those thoughts stopped when my master spoke up. "Your friend is very exceptional," she said, continuing to watch below. "She willingly risked her life to save one of her friends. Not many people these days would do such a thing."

I smiled when I thought about it. "Then you really don't know the people in the guild you joined," I said seriously. "They risk life and limb for each other. It's what brings us together and lets us be a family of sorts."

I looked down at Lucy and Loke and watched as the Celestial Spirit King returned to the Celestial Spirit World. Time began to flow once more.

"But yeah, everyone at Fairy Tail is just as exceptional as her," I admitted. "You'd have a hard time finding anyone like our guild out there," I stated proudly. Staring down at Lucy in a mixture of admiration and pride.

* * *

Well, guys, this means we're onto the Tower of Heaven Arc, so be excited for that. Now you guys have a rough idea of what Nathaniel looks like. Or at least a glamourized version of him does. And now, he has a new teacher to help him with his magic. By no means is this OC a possible love interest, in fact, she's more relevant to Nathaniel's own character arc that he'll be getting later on. Think of it as an apprenticeship for Nathaniel.

I'm glad you have all kept reading through this with me and I hope you continue to as well. Until the next one!


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